All English Editorial 06.07.2022

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6 EDITORIAL MUMBAI
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022

THE HINDU
Indian aviation needs a strong and steady tailwind
Policymakers ought to recognise the country’s untapped potential and work towards dismantling the many hurdles
cost airlines in India took shape in payee. Entrepreneurs break the aviation, i.e., air cargo, airports,
2003 which overcame the cost status quo, smash cartels and aviation fuel taxes (State and cen
Convenient lies barrier. There was an explosion in
demand and the common man
create new markets. There are the
examples of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs
tral, which in India are among the
highest in the world) and Mainte
The BJP should not feed the fake news could think of flying. Along with and even India’s N.R. Narayana nance, Repair and Overhaul
this came a liberalisation of va Murthy who founded Infosys (with (MRO). They are in a dismal state
ecosystem to score political points rious other sectors that propelled other professionals) with an initial in India. For example, there are la
G.R. Gopinath
C
ongress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments about India to the front; it was a vibrant capital investment of ₹10,000. To byrinthine taxes, customs, other
SFI activists, where he forgave those who had and an emerging economic power day, one has the newer examples duties and tortuous rules to be
M.A. SRIRAM
A
vandalised his office in his Lok Sabha constituen round four decades ago, In and a leader among developing of Byju or PayTm. Naresh Goyal overcome to bring in parts, to fa
cy, Wayanad in Kerala, were an act of sagacity that is dia had two television chan economies. was a humble travel agent who put cilitate repair and overhaul, and to
rare. In a disturbing, but recurring sign of the toxicity nels — Doordarshan One together some funds and built a reexport them or for use in air
that pervades the country’s public space, his comments and Doordarshan Two. A pro Barriers and some data passengers/1.4 billion people. In world class airline, Jet Airways. craft here. This is a huge deter
gramming highlight was a popular Sadly, while all other sectors have contrast, India, with 1.25 billion Capital will eventually find entre rent. Airlines find it easier to send
were presented by a TV channel as condoning the Isla
R.K. Laxman cartoon. On channel grown by leaps and bounds, In people, had 140 million domestic preneurs who have revolutionary their aircraft to major MROs
mist bigots in Udaipur who ruthlessly killed a man they one, there was programming on dian aviation has become ‘the sick passengers. And, finally, some ideas just as river coursing abroad (Dubai, Singapore or Ger
suspected of supporting blasphemy. The channel and Indira Gandhi and when a viewer man of India’. The growth of avia more numbers: Ethiopia five mil through land finds the sea. As we many), some of which employ In
the anchor in question issued an apology, but only after got bored, he switched to the oth tion has been affected by choking lion passengers/population nearly have seen many times, a mighty dian technicians. Similarly, the
the malicious act blew up as an indefensible scandal. er channel, which had program regulations, tough entry barriers 120 million and Egypt, 13.2 million war chest need not guarantee the charter business has remained
BJP leader and former Union Minister — for Information ming on Sanjay Gandhi, her se for new entrants, high fuel prices passengers/ population 100 success of a gamechanging stagnant. It is ironic that when
and Broadcasting, no less — Rajyavardhan Singh Rath cond son and a politician who on account of sky high taxes, and million. venture. there are thousands of pilots and
mattered then. There were only inefficient public sector airports The ‘Startup India’ initiative is technicians unemployed in India,
ore, and some other party leaders who shared the same
two car companies, manufactur that are paving the way for mono A Eureka moment a laudable initiative by the govern airlines have to look for foreign pi
doctored video on social media did not feel any com ing the Ambassador and the Fiat poly airports that are extortionist I founded a helicopter company in ment of the day and the Prime Mi lots and engineers, pushing up
pulsion to retract their endorsement of the fake news. Premier Padmini; two motorcycle in the absence of robust competi 1995, but in 2002 I envisioned a nister, Narendra Modi. It is by and costs in the process.
The doctored video clip, flagged ‘out of context’ by and two scooter companies, that tion. Frequent and kneejerk new vibrant India that had un large the driving force in hitech
Twitter, remains on their timelines. Mr. Gandhi could made the Enfield India and Ideal changes only point to the absence leashed consumer aspirations in companies and disrupting many Trough and crest
be seen and heard as saying that it was children who did Jawa bikes, and the Bajaj and Lam of a longterm visionary strategic its citizens in the wake of a flood of conventional businesses. But the And, finally, there is India’s Air
that, and while it was a mistake, the issue could be put bretta scooters, respectively; one policy not just for airlines but also reforms in the economy in China. point is that this force must spread craft Act, 1934 and Aircraft Rules,
telephone company, two airlines, for the entire gamut of sectors in The explosion of television chan to other areas. Aviation is integral 1937. Though there are frequent
to rest. The malicious misrepresentation of these words
Air India and Indian Airlines, and aviation. nels that spurred consumer de to equitable economic growth, for modifications under the above ov
by the news channel and the BJP leaders is an extremely a bunch of crumbling public sec The number of Indians who buy mand through advertisement un a country to be globally competi erarching mother Act and Rules,
irresponsible act in a country that is deeply polarised. tor airports. air tickets in a year is 140 million shackled the entrepreneurial tive and to change the situation in India has not kept pace with mod
The Congress wrote to BJP President J.P. Nadda to take Then came some change. (the figure for 2019) before CO ‘animal spirits’ that had been long swathes of India that are strug ern technology in aerospace, in
action against these leaders for spreading fake news, Thanks to the farsighted reforms VID19 struck and ravaged the eco dormant in India. gling with poverty and unemploy creasing costs to the industry and
and get the doctored video removed. The BJP has not ushered in by P.V. Narasimha Rao, nomy. They are not 140 million dif Let me give you an example. In ment. Passenger airlines and air ultimately affecting passenger
responded. who was ably assisted by Manmo ferent individuals as it seems. That 2002, while transiting at Luton air cargo overcome geography and growth. Regulators are not popu
han Singh, and carried forward number comprises 35 million to port (one of the six major interna connect remote areas are alienat lar in any country. India’s statuto
The police in Chhattisgarh, a State that is under Con
during the Rajiv Gandhi and Atal 40 million frequent flyers who tional airports serving the London ed from the mainstream. They can ry regulatory authority, the Direc
gress rule, have registered an FIR on the fake news vi Bihari Vajpayee eras and also sub form the bulk of ticket buyers. It Metropolitan area) on my way to drive investment deep into the torate General of Civil Aviation,
deo and complaints have been filed in other States as sequent governments, India now translates to less than 4% of the the United States for an aviation country, giving people access to needs to be modernised, well
well. A police team from the State was prevented by the has over 500 television channels, population who can afford air tra conference, I saw an advertise markets. More importantly, they staffed, motivated and incentiv
police in Uttar Pradesh — a BJPruled State — from tak more than 20 automobile and 15 vel, placing India just alongside ment that hit me like lightning — 13 boost tourism, which is the largest ised. There need to be aviation
ing the accused TV anchor into custody, adding yet twowheeler manufacturers, a re some poorer African countries, in million passengers per annum employment generator in the un professionals in charge rather
another layer to the controversy. The BJP claims to be a volution and proliferation in the terms of the per capita consump flew through this tiny airport. To organised sector. than the ubiquitous bureaucrat
party with a strong leadership that is serious about in cellphone sector (but now in dan tion of air tickets. Brazil, Malaysia, make this more relatable, that was With mega airports controlling from the Indian Administrative
ger of becoming a duopoly), and a Indonesia and China are way the number of passengers who air and ground space, it is almost Service There needs to be a com
ternal discipline. If its leaders are not expected to talk
plethora of pharmaceutical com ahead of India. passed through nearly 40 airports impossible to connect rural and prehensive overhaul and deep
out of line from the official position of the party, the panies. The country is a pioneer Hard numbers across the world in India that were operational small towns from the large metros. reforms.
question that begs an answer is whether Mr. Rathore is and world leader in vaccine pro for the preCOVID19 year 2019 then. Later, on a domestic flight in Despite the regional airport deve But despite the setbacks and de
acting in accordance with it. If his position is not the duction and a mighty nation in provide context to the story. Ire Phoenix in Midwest U.S., the pas lopment plan, ‘Ude Desh ka Aam terrents, there is a silver lining. In
BJP’s position, the party must immediately clarify that software and financial services, land, not the biggest of econo senger in the seat next to me was a Naagrik ( UDAN) initiative, there is dia may not possess all. But it has
and consider action against Mr. Rathore and other lead which are the envy of the rest of mies, had 28 million domestic air heavily tattooed burly man in not much regional connectivity. an inexhaustible market and large
ers who are brazenly spreading misinformation that the world for innovation and being passengers or tickets sold against a shorts and bunions who was tra And where slots are made availa ly untapped potential. That is
low cost. But there is also a twist to population of five million. In Eu velling with his family. As we chat ble with difficulty, there is the bar what gives many of us hope. Poli
could ignite more violence. The fact is that communally
this tale. There are a number of rope, it was 1,146 million passen ted, I learnt that he was a carpen rier of prohibitive costs. cymakers need to be asked only
provocative statements are an easy route to popularity airline companies, but they are gers for a population of 447 mil ter visiting the Grand Canyon. It one question: What should the Go
in the BJP ecosystem, and the party is either helpless or struggling. lion; in the United States, it was was a journey that was my Eureka Carry out these reforms vernment do to make the common
has no capacity to contain the malaise. By scripting an The reforms that opened up the 927 million passengers for a popu moment. I decided that India was India’s air cargo growth is also lan Indian fly high? How does one in
outright lie, the channel and the anchor further ex aviation sector in 1991 and ended lation of 325 million. Let us leave ready for a revolution and guishing. Hong Kong airport alone crease the figure of 4% who fly
posed the deep crisis of journalism in the country; as the licence raj and the monopoly the most developed economies. launched a low cost airline on a handles more cargo than all of In now to 50% in the next two
the ruling party at the Centre, the BJP must distance it of Indian Airlines and Air India Here is more data: Brazil 119 mil wing and a prayer, and invested dia’s over 100 airports put togeth decades?
changed the sector. A slew of priv lion passengers/population 215 with hope and optimism — the in er. Air cargo integrated with road, The answer will guide the avia
self from Mr. Rathore’s act.
ate sector airlines were given the million; Malaysia 63 million pas visible fuel of any economy. rail and port infrastructure is the tion road map we aspire for.
licence to fly, but two, Jet Airways sengers/population approximately It was a crazy idea but the envi backbone of a growing economy.
A matter of import and Sahara, survived, resulting in
cartelisation. There was change
33 million; Indonesia 116 million
passengers/population nearly 280
ronment seemed conducive under
the National Democratic Alliance
It is critical to understand that for
passenger airlines to grow, there
Captain G.R. Gopinath (retired) is a
farmer and entrepreneur, the founder of
Spectre of wider trade and current account again when the concept of low million, and China, 660 million government led by Atal Bihari Vaj have to be reforms in all areas of Air Deccan
deficits is dragging the rupee down
I Handcuffing, a judicial tap, and the long arm of the law
ndia’s monthly merchandise trade deficit hit a fresh
record of $25.6 billion in June as per preliminary es
timates released by the Commerce and Industry Mi
nistry on Monday. This is the third occasion in seven
months and the second month in a row that the trade The Supreme Court’s directives on handcuffing must be observed, but issues that affect police reform cannot be ignored
deficit has widened to alltime highs. In June, the value There can be three occasions The top court modified the or police officers as well. These num
of outbound shipments grew 16.8%, marginally slower when a person can be (legally) der to that extent and directed the bers may not be very high, but are
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
than the 20.6% growth recorded in May, to about $38 handcuffed, i.e., an accused on his state (and not the police inspector) sufficient to substantiate the fact

billion — reflecting the third successive month of mod arrest and before he is produced to pay the compensation. There that the use of handcuffs is gener
before the magistrate; an under fore, the judgment of the Karnata ally done to prevent escape and
eration. Worryingly, four of India’s top 10 export items
trial prisoner during transit from ka High Court (discussed above) as not to dehumanise criminals.
— engineering goods, cotton yarn, drugs and pharma jail to the court and back; and a far as payment of compensation Nonetheless, if any malice is
R.K. Vij
and plastic products — contracted from a year ago. Pe convict being transported from jail by the police officer is concerned, found behind the use of hand
troleum exports were up 98% from June 2021, but about to the court and back. The law does not appear to be in sync with cuffs, it needs to be dealt with
R
$0.7 billion lower than May 2022. Even as exports ecently, the Karnataka High with regard to handcuffing was the ratio of the Supreme Court strongly by the department. Simi
growth slid, imports surged by over 51% to $63.6 billion Court passed a verdict on settled in 1980 when the Supreme ing except under emergent judgment. The police officer might larly, there cannot be a justifiable
in June, crossing the $60 billion mark for the fourth handcuffing, which is signif Court of India, in Prem Shankar circumstances. have failed to implement the excuse for not mentioning the rea
icant. In Suprit Ishwar Divate vs Shukla vs Delhi Administration, The next point is about who court’s directives, but he was not sons for handcuffing in the case
month in a row. Coal imports, up almost 242% yearon
The State of Karnataka, while held that ‘the only circumstance should pay compensation. It is an acting in his personal capacity. diary.
year, and petroleum inflows, up 94.2%, drove nearly awarding two lakh rupees as com which validates incapacitation by established principle that the re The Supreme Court, in the Ravi
threefourths of this surge. And although gold imports, pensation for handcuffing an ac irons — an extreme measure — is lief of monetary compensation for Possible solutions kant S. Patil (supra) case, had
which had soared nearly eightfold in May to touch 107 cused, without recording the rea that otherwise there is no other an ‘established infringement of However, the High Court rightly rightly said that the authorities
tonnes, moderated from over $6 billion that month to sons in the police case diary, it reasonable way of preventing his the fundamental right guaranteed said that it is the state’s responsi concerned may, if they think it ne
$2.6 billion in June, they were still 169% higher than a gave liberty to the state to recover escape’. It said that where an ar under Article 21 of the Constitu bility to equip all police stations cessary, hold an inquiry and then
year ago and significantly over April’s imports of $1.7 the amount from the delinquent restee or a convict can be prevent tion is a remedy available in public with adequate and necessary pol decide on action against the police
police officer. ed from escape by increasing se law, which is based on the strict ice personnel to discharge their inspector. Therefore, the right ap
billion. The trade deficit for Q1 adds up to a record
curity, such an increase is to be a liability for contravention of the obligations. Therefore, in absence proach would be to initiate disci
$70.25 billion, over two times higher than a year ago. Principles of handcuffing norm rather than handcuffing. guaranteed basic and indefeasible of the required infrastructure, the plinary action against the errant
The tangible slowdown in exports, due to weaker The High Court held that an ac rights of the citizens’. The consti blame of noncompliance cannot officer under service conduct
global demand, is unlikely to change much soon, with cused, in normal circumstances, On compensation tutional courts are empowered to be shifted only to the police rules, rather than to order the pay
recessions or sharp growth slowdowns expected in sev need not be handcuffed on arrest. The Court mandated that in case grant such relief ‘against the state officer. ment of compensation.
eral developed markets. Domestic demand for imports It is only under exceptional cir of handcuffing, the reasons for this or its servants in the purported ex It is undisputed that a police sta It would also be appropriate for
of oil, fertilizers, coal and even gold — a safe haven for cumstances (such as the possibili have to be recorded in writing and ercise of their powers’. So, who tion or a reserve police line is often State governments to review the
ty of escape and/or the possibility it is the duty of the court to make should pay such compensation? unable to provide sufficient escort mobility of the police, the require
investors amid tumultuous financial markets — is large
of causing harm to himself or oth inquiries with the person arrested In State of Maharashtra vs Ravi- to jail authorities in the transporta ment of additional manpower and
ly inelastic, and elevated global prices for these will ers), that handcuffing an accused as to whether he had been hand kant S. Patil (1991), when there tion of undertrial prisoners to technical gadgets (such as body
continue to escalate the import bill through this year. can be resorted to. Further, when cuffed or not and then approve or were allegations of handcuffing court, the reasons being a lack of cameras, as recommended by the
The weakening rupee, which tumbled further to 79.37 there is such handcuffing, the ar reject the reasons. The Supreme and the parading of an undertrial manpower or urgent lawandor Karnataka High Court) periodical
vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, will raise import resting officer must record the rea Court passed similar directives in prisoner of murder on the streets, der duties. It may also become dif ly, and exempt at least the police
costs further. Analysts expect the rupee to scale the 82 sons, which then would have to another case with regard to under the Bombay High Court held the ficult at times to predict the con department from the ban on re
to a dollar mark by the October to December quarter stand judicial/court scrutiny. The trial prisoners. Thus, irrespective Inspector of Police responsible for duct of an arrestee on the spot. cruitment. Per contra, the enforce
before recovering and the current account deficit to petitioner in this case was a law of whether the person to be hand violation of Article 21, ordering A National Crime Records Bu ment agencies and lower courts
student against whom five crimi cuffed is an accused or an under him to pay ₹10,000 as compensa reau publication (Ministry of are duty bound to implement, in
more than double to around 3% of GDP this year from
nal cases had been filed for offenc trial prisoner or a convict, the tion. However, the Supreme Court Home Affairs) on ‘Crime in India letter and spirit, the Supreme
1.2% in 202122. Robust forex reserves notwithstanding, es under the Negotiable Instru principles governing handcuffing (though it upheld the judgment of 2020’ shows that 810 cases of pri Court’s directives on handcuffing.
the persistent outflows of foreign capital from the finan ments Act, 1881 for the dishonour remain the same. However, if such the High Court directing compen soner escape from police custody
cial markets have triggered concerns about the balance of cheques. He had been arrested a person is under the judicial cus sation) held that the police officer (against 931) were reported in the R.K. Vij is a former Special Director
of payments situation. Last week, the Government im in furtherance of a nonbailable tody of the court, the court’s per was not personally liable as he had year 2020. No less than 117 cases General of Police of Chhattisgarh.
posed a windfall tax on crude oil production that could warrant issued by a magistrate. mission is required for handcuff acted in his official capacity. were registered against negligent The views expressed are personal
help bridge concerns about the fiscal deficit. It also
placed restrictions on petroleum products’ exports and LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
acknowledged that gold imports were hurting the cur
To read more letters
rent account by raising customs duties to 15% from Doctored video chain stopped himself and even ruling party want to send? in Maharashtra, where all Centre Court (‘Sport’ page – online, scan the QR code
10.75%. This may end up hurting petroleum exports The former Union Minister instructed his colleagues to A. Venkatasubramanian, norms were cast aside, “Galaxy of stars”, July 4)
further while import duties may not dent India’s unpa in question — and, do the same thing. A Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu shows that Governors act was rivetting. Wimbledon final, that can count as the
ralleled appetite for the yellow metal as much as hoped. ironically, for Information Minister who was more as members of the only conjures up the image best. With the Centre Court
Coal imports, on the other hand, are expected to keep and Broadcasting — responsible for handling Governor’s conduct ruling party than as a of prestigious tennis. Of all being the most storied
Rajyavardhan Singh information should have set Going by the manner in constitutional head. the memorable images of venue in tennis,
hitting record highs as the monsoon will affect domes
Rathore cannot behave as if impeccable standards for which some Governors Tharcius S. Fernando, Centre Court, it is perhaps commemorating 100 years
tic output. Policy makers may have little room to ma he is unaware of the weeding out conduct themselves, one Chennai Jana Novotna’s breakdown, of its existence is akin to
noeuvre out of this vicious cycle, but missteps must be consequences emerging misinformation. By not really wonders whether where she cried on the commemorating the game
avoided and domestic inefficiencies hurting exports re from the very act of sharing initiating any action against they have been planted in Centre Court at 100 shoulder of the Duchess of itself.
viewed urgently. fake videos in today’s digital the BJP leaders, what kind these States to act with an The picture that celebrated Kent after she lost to Steffi R. Sivakumar,
age. He ought to have of a message does the agenda. The developments the 100th anniversary of Graf in the 1993 Wimbledon Chennai
CM A BM-BME
YK
THE HINDU
MUMBAI
OPED 7
Helping Sri Lanka more meaningfully The way to control tuberculosis
Interventions which aid recovery and include relief with dignity should be the basis of any future assistance Three major deficiencies of the Revised National TB Control
Programme need correction
and deploying farm equipment pre
viously gifted by the Indian govern The theoretical principle is ‘source reduc
ment, and the management of these tion’. If one patient is the proximate source
schemes will ensure that the benefit of infection and disease to another in the
of assistance reaches producers di community, early diagnosis and treatment
rectly. In addition, devising insu would work as source reduction. India is a
S.C.C. Elankovan rance schemes will give farmers an highburden country. Large proportions of
incentive to cultivate without fear of T. Jacob John & Sushil Mathew John adults carry TB infection in the lung in a dor
losses in the event of drought or mant condition for life (latent TB). Some
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has floods. Importantly, the Indian go Tuberculosis is the worst among endemic among them deteriorate and develop overt
significantly reduced incomes, re vernment should ensure that the im diseases, killing 1.5 million people every year TB disease (reactivation TB). HIV infection,
duced the availability and affordabil plementation of these programmes (WHO). TB affects adults in their most pro diabetes, undernutrition, lung damage due
ity of food and thus increased the is equitable and impartial, especially ductive years and therefore impoverishes to pollution, tobacco smoking, fall in im
risk of food insecurity, particularly of in the context of the grievances of the the family and the nation. In India, the TB mune functions due to chronic diseases, al
the most vulnerable households. Tamilspeaking minorities who have capital of the world, the disease kills some coholism, etc. accelerate reactivation TB.
Lower income groups and waraf A cargo ship carrying essential supplies from India. * REUTERS suffered historic exclusion. 1,400 persons every day. These are gross es Third, RNTCP has failed to elicit people’s
fected families in the north and east India has been generous in help timates, for our health management system partnership in TB control. In India’s AIDS
have little or no cash reserves, and li tional Monetary Fund programme cial Responsibility projects. ing Sri Lanka. Apart from the $3.5 bil has no method to count the exact numbers. Control Programme, public education was
mited access to resources such as that will likely prescribe austerity. In The United Nations estimates that lion extended so far, more was pro In the 1950s and ’60s, India was the global given high priority. Red ribbon clubs in
land. The problem is more acute this context, the Indian government 50 lakh people, or about 20% of Sri mised during the Indian Foreign leader in research in epidemiology, trans schools and colleges are its legacy. Without
among womenheaded households, and the people of Tamil Nadu could Lanka’s poorest, are at highest risk. Secretary’s recent visit. Tamil Nadu, mission and domiciliary treatment of TB. people’s informed participation, stigma and
people with disabilities, former com go beyond relief and explore sup Aid from India could target this which contributed rice and other es The National TB Control Programme of 1962 delay in seeking help will continue.
batants, the working class, marginal porting an employment guarantee group. By reaching 10 lakh families, sential items, is now preparing to was a districtbased one with publicprivate Realising that TB was not under control,
ised caste groups and plantation scheme, drawing from the expe or approximately 15% of Sri Lanka’s send 4,500 MT of rice and other re participation. However, upscaling the model WHO called for another programme revision
workers who, due to multiple histor riences of the Mahatma Gandhi Na households, this aid could reduce lief material. Food relief can only sof proved unsuccessful and the programme through a World Health Assembly Resolu
ical injustices such as discrimination tional Rural Employment Guarantee market demand for food and help ten the hardship in what will be ma failed to control TB. With that we lost self tion in 2014 to eliminate TB by 2035. Embol
and statelessness, have been system Act, for a dignified and sustainable control demanddriven inflation, ny difficult years to recovery unless confidence and began doing what we were dened by the promise of an effective strate
ically denied access to resources. recovery of the economy. thus retaining food prices within rea the Sri Lankan state mends it ways. told to do by the WHO under the Revised Na gy, the Prime Minister announced in 2018
These groups, who have been ex Social safety nets provided by the sonable limits for other sections of Presently credit lines are being tional TB Control Programme (RNTCP). that India would eliminate TB by 2025.
posed to immediate shocks amid Sri Lankan state are either inadeq the population as well. used for fuel, for servicing the needs WHO experts, without factoring in the diffe
longterm stresses, will bear the uate or ineffective. There is no func To facilitate the cash part of the of private vehicles, while fisherman rences between the TB epidemiology of poor Controlling TB
brunt of the economic crisis as food tional public distribution system. aid, the Indian government could have inadequate supplies of kero and rich countries, used a theoretical con Epidemiologically, human mastery over mi
stocks deplete and production costs The maximum monthly household buy LKR in exchange for its value in sene for their fishing boats and are struct of TB control to design RNTCP. By crobes includes control, elimination and era
soar. The depreciating Sri Lankan ru cash transfer (LKR 4,000, or about INR thus allowing the Sri Lankan go consequently near starvation. Pro 2018, India realised that light at the end of dication. Control refers to the reduction of
pee and the lack of foreign exchange ₹900) provided through Samurdhi, vernment to use the INR earned to fessor Amal Kumarage of the Univer the tunnel was still elusive. disease burden through specific interven
have made it enormously difficult for the government’s poverty alleviation procure more Indian medical sup sity of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka points tions to a predetermined level in a prestat
the island to import even the most programme, is grossly insufficient. plies or food. Aid could be mobilised out that while 76% of fuel is con Flaws in the programme ed time period. Evidence will have to show
basic essentials, including food and A work guarantee scheme assur from Tamil Nadu and other States sumed for passenger travel, 51% is ta There are obvious flaws in the RNTCP. First, that reduction was due to those interven
medicines. As a consequence, the ing working people of 100 to 120 days and NGOs to reduce the cost to the ken up by cars, pickups and SUVs. In for a programme that is heavily funded by tions and not due to a ‘secular trend’. Diseas
cost of staple food items such as rice, of work annually could provide re Central government. comparison, the Sri Lanka Transport the government, there is no prescribed es that have social determinants tend to de
bread and daal have increased by ov lief. Compensation for this labour Board Buses consume only 17%. method of monitoring the trajectory of TB cline over time with better housing,
er 50% in the last six months alone. could be made 70% in kind, such as Increasing food production At the end of the war, the Indian control. Contrast this with the National AIDS nutrition, education and income — this is
rice partly procured in Sri Lanka, Resolving this crisis will also require housing programme provided signifi Control Programme. Before the National what a ‘secular trend’ is. Globally, by this
Indian assistance along with wheat, daal, and other interventions to increase domestic cant humanitarian and socioeco AIDS Control Organization was established, ‘secular trend’, the burden of TB had been
India has emerged as the foremost pulses not available locally, and kero food production. Agriculture pro nomic benefits to devastated people the Indian Council of Medical Researchman falling by 1% or 1.5% per year.
partner for Sri Lanka at this time. It sene. The remaining 30% could be duction fell by almost 50% due to an in the Northeast and to hill country aged AIDS Control Task Force had a unique Elimination refers to achieving zero fre
has provided assistance of about $3.5 paid in cash to the worker. The food illconceived ban on chemical fertil communities. With 50,000 houses method of monitoring the control trajectory, quency of new cases. As we have a huge
billion this year to manage the shock component combined with cash will izers in 2021. India has provided a built over five years, people had popularly called ‘sentinel surveillance’. backlog of latent TB, we cannot eliminate
caused by this economic catas ensure that families are protected credit facility to import fertilizer, houses to live in and also livelihoods. Through it, we have data on infection preva TB, but we must aim for a high level of con
trophe, compounded by the govern from inflation. This will support their which is timely support to incentiv A strategic intervention such as this, lence that can be compared across years, trol (lowering from 200 per lakh per year to
ment’s incompetence, mismanage emotional, physical and nutritional ise farmers to resume cultivation. which aids recovery and includes re starting from 1986 to date. There was pres 50 per lakh per year) and document it with
ment and corruption. As Sri Lankans wellbeing in a dignified way. ‘Work’ But more needs to be done to assist lief with dignity, should be the basis sure from WHO experts to abandon it, but measurement. That will do justice to the
receive food aid from Tamil Nadu could include strengthening agricul small farmers to reengage, increase of any future assistance. The housing credit must be given to Dr. Sriram P Tripathy, Prime Minister’s vision. High control is
with gratitude, some questions about tural infrastructure by repairing em and maximise cultivation. Any in programme earned goodwill for In the then Director General of ICMR, for po achievable as we have major assets by way of
the transparency and impartiality of bankments, channels, and drainage. crease in production will necessarily dia. A programme guaranteeing em litely but firmly refusing to oblige. the RNTCP. Trained State and District TB of
the government’s distribution of the It could include providing care for have a deflationary impact on prices, ployment and supporting produc Recently India confronted the WHO’s esti ficers are already on the job and we have an
same have already arisen. children, the elderly and patients. which could stabilise the prices of tion will be a meaningful followup to mates on COVID19 deaths in India. That the extensive network of TB clinics and an army
Meanwhile, there is a need for This would be especially helpful for food and contribute to improving the that. Such an intervention will also government could publicly stand up to WHO of community and field workers. Once the
more thoughtful assistance to the pe working women and those with old broader economic climate. be in India’s interest. was a good sign. We must now boldly point deficiencies listed above are corrected, we
ople, especially the poor, who will and terminally ill family members Earmarking funds for specific pur out the flaws of the WHOdesigned RNTCP can control TB.
only be worse off in the coming looking for a carer. Internships or on poses, including for provision of S.C.C. Elangovan is a social worker and and design our own comprehensive strategy.
months. Some also fear that they thejob traineeships could even in cheap credit to small farmers and political activist based mostly in Jaffna, and Second, the assumption that treating pul T. Jacob John is Chairman, Rotary Club of Vellore TB
might be left out of the government’s volve and be funded by the private sharing expertise in good agricultu attached to the SJV Chelvanayakam monary TB patients alone would control TB Control Society, and Sushil Mathew John is Professor of
recovery efforts, led by an Interna sector in India through Corporate So ral practices, repairing, remobilising Memorial Trust was epidemiologically fallacious in India. Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore
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STATE OF PLAY CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
DATA POINT
The rush to overhaul education FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Andhra Pradesh government’s hurried FIFTY YEARS AGO JULY 6, 1972
education reforms are a cause for worry Kakuei Tanaka Japan’s new PM

P. Sujatha Varma the smooth transition of children to
Tokyo, July 5: Mr. Kakuei Tanaka, 54year
English as a medium of instruction. It
old building contractor with practically no
The 202223 academic year is likely also has plans to shift from the State
formal education, was today picked by the
to be a turbulent one for school edu Board to the CBSE in phases.
ruling Liberal Democratic Party to guide the
cation in Andhra Pradesh. The YSR There is also confusion about the
destinies of the world's third largest eco
Congress Party government is keen school restructuring programme.
nomic power at least for the next three
on rolling out radical reforms at an The proposal is to categorise educa
years. As had been expected, Mr. Tanaka tri
accelerated pace. Chief Minister Y.S. tional institutions into satellite foun
umphed over his closest rival, the Foreign
Jagan Mohan Reddy has been saying dational schools comprising pre
Minister, Mr. Takeo Fukuda, with a comfor
that a child who walks into a govern primary 1 and preprimary 2, founda
table margin in the elections held to choose
ment school should walk out as a glo tion schools comprising Classes 1 and
a successor to the outgoing Prime Minister,
bal citizen and face the competitive 2, foundation plus schools with Class
Mr. Sato, at the 27th extraordinary conven
world with confidence. To give shape es 1 to 5, prehigh schools with Class
tion of the party this morning. Although
to his vision, the School Education es 1 to 8, high schools with Classes 3
there were four contenders for the post of
Department is focused on concep to 10, and high school plus with
party president — and automatically Japan's
tual learning instead of rote learning. Classes 3 to 12. Sceptics argue that
Premiership — the race was really between
Emphasis is being laid not on evaluat merging primary classes with high
Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Fukuda as the other two
ing the students on a threehour ex schools would violate the ‘neighbour
candidates, the former Foreign Ministers,
amination but on their classroom hood school system’ endorsed by the
Mr. Masayoshi Ohira and Mr. Takeo Miki,
participation, projects, communica RTE Act and result in a higher school
were given little chance of winning. None of
tion skills, leadership skills and extra dropout rate, especially of girls in re
the candidates got the necessary majority of
curricular activities. The Department mote tribal areas.
239 votes on the first ballot. Mr. Tanaka cap
has been tasked with implementing a The earlier
tured 156 votes and Mr. Fukuda was a close
slew of government initiatives in sync deadline of
second with 150 while Mr. Ohira made a sur
with the National Education Policy June 30 for
prisingly good show garnering 101 votes and
(NEP), 2020, this academic year, completing
Mr. Miki got 59. Under the party’s proce
starting July 5. the school
dures if no one candidate secures a clear ma
Besides the annual exercise of mapping ex
jority on the first ballot the top two conten
printing and supplying text ercise has
ders vie for this post in the second ballot. In
books, officials are burning been pushed to July 31.
today’s case the outcome of such a second
the midnight oil to complete People worry that there will
ballot was not hard to predict in view of an
training teachers in English; be confusion if the merger ex
electoral alliance which Mr. Tanaka had
expedite the process of map ercise is carried out even as
forged earlier with Mr. Ohira and Mr. Miki
ping Classes 35 in primary students attend classes in their
under which factions led by the latter two
schools in the government sector old schools. Clarity also eludes the
had agreed to vote for Mr. Tanaka in case of a
to high schools located nearby; reap proposed reapportionment of the
second ballot.
portion teaching staff; implement teaching staff, the longpending
Section 12(1)(C) of the Right to Educa transfers, and promotions of teach A HUNDRED YEARS AGO JULY 6, 1922
tion (RTE) Act, 2009, which man ers.
dates private, unaided schools to re Two Government Orders which Karachi Port Trust
serve 25% of seats in entrylevel were issued recently, to reapportion
classes for children belonging to teaching staff and to transfer the The Port Trust have appointed a Committee
weaker sections; and bring select municipal schools to the administra to report on the subject of increasing the
schools under the CBSE syllabus. tive and supervisory control of the number of Indians in the higher grade of ser
Educationists say there is too Department of School Education, vice and or the question of representation of
much to do and too little time. They have fuelled protests across the State. Indian Commercial interests on the Trust
have raised serious concerns about Teachers are demanding the repeal Board. Apropos Government resolution
the “incoherence” of the initiatives. of these orders saying they will be sanctioning the Port Trust to raise a loan of
They worry that no homework was overburdened and the quality of edu 25 lakhs of rupees the Board has resolved
done before these initiatives were in cation will suffer. Given the formida that further extensions of port facilities will
troduced and that the reforms lack ble challenges, it may take a few be required on the completion of the Sukhur
sound footing. years at least for the government to Barrage and that the development scheme
The Chief Minister’s English medi achieve its lofty educational goals. Its now under consideration should no longer
um project was set aside by the High race against time is illadvised; in be delayed. They disagree with the Bombay
Court and the matter is subjudice in stead, it would serve everyone well if Government’s view that the prosperity of
the Supreme Court. Undeterred, the the process was gradual with all Karachi Fort depends mainly on the wheat
State has embarked on training these concerns addressed. export trade and point out that it lies in the
teachers in English and has started expansion of its general trade, while wheat
printing textbooks with lessons in export can only be regarded as a means of
both English and Telugu to facilitate pothuri.varma@thehindu.co.in supplementing port revenue.
CM A BM-BME
YK
I
MUMBAI

Text & Context

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Accessible for all Coal output rises Vaccination coverage Sydney floods Rebuilding Ukraine
20 61 91 50,000 750
The number of airports In percentage, the growth in The percentage of India’s adult The number In $ billion, the
equipped with ambulifts to coal output in India in the population fully vaccinated of people estimated cost required
help flyers with disabilities or AprilJune quarter to 42.40 against COVID19, according affected by for the reconstruction of
reduced mobility in boarding lakh metric tonnes (MT) from to Union Health Minister the floods Ukraine, according to
an aircraft under the Centre’s 26.40 lakh MT in the same Mansukh Mandaviya. The total that hit President Volodymyr
Accessible India campaign, according period a year ago, according to number of vaccine doses administered Sydney as hundreds of homes have Zelensky. Speaking at the Ukraine
to the Disability Affairs Department. Stateowned power giant NTPC. The in the country crossed 198 crore. More been inundated in and around Recovery Conference in Switzerland,
These airports include Vijayawada, three operational coal mines — than 10 lakh vaccine doses were Australia’s largest city, according to the Ukrainian President and a long line
Kanpur, Port Blair, Jodhpur, Belgaum, PakriBarwadih (Jharkhand), Dulanga administered till 7 pm on Monday. So officials. Emergency response teams of government Ministers described the
Silchar, Jharsuguda, Rajkot and Hubli. (Odisha) and Talaipalli (Chhattisgarh) far, 60.57 lakh precaution doses have made 100 rescues overnight of people massive destruction and towering
The initiative has been taken to have contributed to achieving this coal been administered to those in the trapped in cars on flooded roads or in needs since Russia attacked Ukraine on
facilitate passengers in wheelchairs production output, the NTPC 1859 age group, the Ministry said. inundated homes in the Sydney area, February 24. In a video message,
and on stretchers. 35 international statement said. The production of coal Over 3.69 crore children in the 1214 State Emergency Service manager Zelensky said that the reconstruction
airports and 55 domestic airports are during June 2022 almost doubled to age group and more than 6.05 crore Ashley Sullivan said. Days of torrential of Ukraine was not the task of a single
now accessible to people with mobility 15.55 lakh MT from 7.73 lakh MT in the adolescents in the 1518 age group rain have caused dams to overflow and nation, but the task of the whole
issues. PTI same month a year ago. PTI have been given the first dose. PTI waterways to break their banks. AP democratic world. AFP
COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM

EXPLAINER
The relentless march of FPIs to the exit gate

Why are Foreign Portfolio Investors exiting the Indian market? How has the Russia- Ukraine war contributed to this?
THE GIST
K. Bharat Kumar triggering concerns around economic ride without giving confidence of a full and
growth. In tandem, benchmark stock index final recovery from the pandemic. For
The story so far: Foreign Portfolio Sensex fell from 42,270 in February 2020 to example, the S&P Global India
Investors (FPIs) have been on a selling spree 25,630 in March 2020. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index
in India. June 2022 witnessed the worst FPIs also show keenness to invest in (PMI) slid to 53.9 in June — the lowest level in
B Foreign Portfolio selloff since March 2020 — when India bonds when there is a favourable differential nine months — from 54.6 in the previous
Investors (FPIs) have been announced a nationwide lockdown — at between the real interest rates on offer in the month. Experts attribute this to inflation
on a selling spree in India.
June 2022 witnessed the
₹50,000 crore. This comes on the back of country they aim to invest in, and other pressures, which also dampened business
worst selloff since March May’s selloff figures of about ₹44,000 crore. markets, but more specifically, compared confidence sentiment to a 27month low in
2020 — when India June was also the ninth on the trot that FPIs with the largest economy in the world, the June, as per surveybased findings.
announced a nationwide had sold net of their assets — ie, sold more U.S. Consumption expenditure too has remained
lockdown — at ₹50,000 than they had purchased. Their selling weak in the subcontinent.
crore. actions have triggered a significant decline in Why have FPIs been selling India With each of these factors contributing to
benchmark indices, resulting in a drop in holdings? a decline in confidence of robust economic
B Postpandemic, recovery market capitalisation of companies. FPIs sold assets worth about ₹50,000 crore performance, FPIs have been exiting market
in the Indian economy has in June 2022. This is the second highest investments over these past months. Add to
been uneven. As the What are FPIs? selloff in a month since 1993, after March the mix the U.S. Federal Reserve raising the
industry was grappling with Foreign portfolio investors are those that 2020. benchmark interest rate starting March this
this challenge, came invest funds in markets outside of their Postpandemic, recovery in the Indian year. On June 15, the Fed announced the
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
home turf. Their investments typically economy has been uneven. The second wave most aggressive interest rate increase in
which led to a rise in global
prices. Add to this mix the
include equities, bonds and mutual funds. of the COVID19 pandemic in 2021 almost 30 years, raising the benchmark
U.S. Federal Reserve raising They are generally not active shareholders devastated lives and livelihoods. The borrowing rate by 0.75 percentage points in
the benchmark interest rate and do not exert any control over the economy stuttered again when a third, albeit its battle against surging inflation. The key
starting March this year. All companies whose shares they hold. The less severe, wave saw the spread of the rate range had gone up from 00.25% in dollar, which has seen a general
of these have made Indian passive nature of their investment also Omicron variant early this year. Add to this March to 0.751% in May. strengthening against several other
assets ‘risky’. allows them to enter or exit a stock at will the return of pentup demand in economies When the differential between the interest currencies. The rupee touched its record low
and with ease. worldwide as the pandemic subsided. The rates in the U.S. and other markets narrow, of 79.33 against the greenback on Tuesday.
B When FPIs sell their pace of recovery caught suppliers off guard, and if such an occurrence is accompanied by
holdings and repatriate What factors spur FPI moves? contributing to supplyside shortages. the strengthening of the dollar, then the What impact does an FPI selloff have?
funds back to their home Promise of attractive returns on the back of As the industry was grappling with this ability of investors to realise healthy returns When FPIs sell their holdings and repatriate
markets, the local currency economic growth draws investors including challenge, came Russia's invasion of Ukraine. is impacted. For returns are measured not funds back to their home markets, the local
takes a beating. With a FPIs into a country’s markets. For example, Sunflower and wheat supplies, to name just only by the value appreciation of assets but currency takes a beating. After all, they sell
weaker rupee, we have to
as per data from the National Securities two commodities, from these two nations also by exchange rate changes. If the dollar rupees in exchange for their home market
shell out more funds to
import the same unit of Depositories Ltd. (NDSL), FPIs brought in were impacted, leading to a rise in global strengthens against the rupee, then an currency. As supply of the rupee in the
goods. about ₹3,682 crore in 2002. This grew to prices for these crops. As supplies in general investor is able to realise fewer dollars for a market rises, its value declines. In this
₹1.79 lakh crore in 2010. This correlates with tightened across the globe, commodity given quantum of rupee assets liquidated. instance, the rupee has been seeing alltime
the concurrent expansion of economic prices too rose and overall inflation Further, if inflation quickens in the overseas lows recently. About a year ago, it was
output in that period, despite the 2008 accelerated. India witnessed a quickening market where the investor has placed funds trading in the region of 73 to a U.S. dollar; it
global financial crisis which saw FPI selloffs pace in price rise that stayed above the in, then real returns are even further is now flirting with the 78 level. With a
in that timeframe in the country. The year Reserve Bank’s upper comfort level of 6% for impacted. weaker rupee, we have to shell out more
2017 saw FPI inflows exceed ₹2 lakh crore. five months running, touching 7.8% in April, They then tend to exit assets seen as funds to import the same unit of goods. The
Likewise, FPIs withdrew ₹1.18 lakh crore before receding to a slightly less aggressive ‘risky’ such as in emerging markets like most telling impact is on the cost of our
in March 2020 alone — the month when 7.04% in the subsequent month. India, Brazil or South Africa. And indeed, crude oil imports that contribute to 85% of
India announced a nationwide lockdown, Industrial production has seen a bumpy the rupee has been depreciating against the our oil needs.
EXPLAINER
The status of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia

What has been the progress of the BRI so far? What have been the roadblocks and challenges?
THE GIST
Diksha Munjal increase the city’s GDP to $30 billion by the Colombo port and got China to take the Maldives is the two km long
2050 and create over a million jobs. up the project. It then awarded the ChinaMaldives Friendship Bridge — a
The story so far: At the recently However, multiple reports have shown project for the Western Side of the $200 million four lane bridge.
concluded summit of G7 leaders in that shipping activities at the Gwadar Port Terminal to the Adani Group. Most of China’s investment in the
Germany, U.S. President Joe Biden and is almost negligible so far, with only some Some BRI projects in Sri Lanka have Maldives happened under former
his allies unveiled their $600 billion plan trade to Afghanistan. been described as white elephants — such President Abdullah Yameen, seen as B In 2013, Chinese
called the Partnership for Global Additonally, Gwadar residents have as the Hambantota port, a deep seaport proChina. Over the years, opposition President Xi Jinping, during

Infrastructure and Intelligence which is also protested against the large security on the world’s busiest eastwest shipping protests grew against the large borrowing his visits to Kazakhstan and
Indonesia, expressed his
being seen as a counter to China’s Belt force deployed to protect Chinese lane, which was meant to spur industrial from China and Mr. Yameen was defeated
vision to build a Silk Road
and Road Initiative (BRI), valued at a nationals involved in projects after they activity. The port had always been in 2018. The Maldives’ current regime of Economic Belt (SERB) and a
trillion U.S. dollars by some experts. became the target of multiple deadly secondary to the busy Colombo port until President Ibrahim Solih has tried to 21st Century Maritime Silk
Therefore, there is a need to revisit the attacks by Baloch nationalists. In late the latter ran out of capacity. The Sri distance itself from the BRI, focusing Road (MSR), to break the
various projects under the BRI in 2021, thousands of Gwadar residents Lankan government took $1.4 billion in more on its ‘India First’ policy. India has “bottleneck” in Asian
different South Asian countries. A view of the Hambantota port *
FILE PHOTO staged a sitin protest against the lack of Chinese loans for the port’s expansion. also in recent years sought greater ties connectivity. Thus, the Belt
promised basic amenities in Gwadar and Unable to service the huge loan and with the Maldives under Prime Minister and Road initiative was
What is China’s Belt and Road experienced a slowing down as annual Chinese deepsea trawlers reducing incurring $300 million in losses due to Narendra Modi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ born.
Initiative? Chinese lending to countries under the fishing opportunities for locals. Other delays, the government handed policy.
In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping, initiative slimmed from its peak of $125 major projects are the orange line metro, Hambantota port to a Chinese B The biggest project under
during his visits to Kazakhstan and billion in 2015 to around $50 to 55 billion coal power plants to tackle energy stateowned company on a 99year lease What about Bangladesh? BRI is in Pakistan, the China

Indonesia, expressed his vision to build a in 2021. shortages and the Main Line 1 rail project in 2017. Other key projects under BRI Bangladesh, which joined the BRI in Pakistan Economic Corridor
Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st from Peshawar to Karachi. While coal include the development of the Colombo 2016, has been promised the (CPEC). Over time, China
pledged $62 billion in
Century Maritime Silk Road, to break the What have been the BRI’s plants set up and managed by Chinese International Container Terminal, the secondhighest investment (about $40
lowinterest loans and
“bottleneck” in Asian connectivity. This investments in Pakistan? firms did help improve the power Central Expressway and the Hambantota billion) in South Asia after Pakistan. financing from Chinese
vision led to the birth of the BRI. The On his 2015 visit to Pakistan, Mr. Xi and situation in Pakistan, former Prime International Airport among others. Multiple studies, including research by stateowned banks and the
initiative envisioned a Chineseled then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Minister Imran Khan sought the Council on Foreign Relations, show Asian Development Bank
investment of over $1 trillion in partner Sharif unveiled the BRI’s flagship project renegotiation of payments to China in Are there projects in Afghanistan? that Bangladesh has been able to benefit (ADB).
countries by 2025. More than 60 and its biggest one in a single country — 2020 alleging that Chinese companies Afghanistan has not comprehensively from the BRI while maintaining
countries have now joined BRI the China Pakistan Economic Corridor had overcharged the country by $3 been brought into the BRI, despite a diplomatic and strategic ties with both B Bangladesh, which joined
agreements with China, with (CPEC). Over time, China pledged $62 billion. In May this year, Chinese power Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) India and China. It has managed to not the BRI in 2016, has been
infrastructure projects under the billion in lowinterest loans and financing firms operating in Pakistan threatened to being signed with China in 2016. China upset India by getting India to build promised the
initiative being planned or under from Chinese stateowned banks and the close down if the latter did not pay dues had promised investments worth $100 infrastructure projects similar to BRI in secondhighest belt and
construction in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Asian Development Bank (ADB), up from worth 300 billion in Pakistani rupees million in Afghanistan which is small in the country. In 2016, when the Chinese road investment by China in
Latin America. an initial $46 billion pledge. The CPEC (approximately $1.5 billion). comparison to what it shelled out in government promised Dhaka BRI South Asia after Pakistan.
To finance BRI projects, China offers envisioned multiple projects involving other South Asian countries. The projects investment worth around $40 billion, Multiple studies show that
Bangladesh has been able
huge loans at commercial interest rates energy, transport and communication What about Sri Lanka? have not materialised so far and India followed up in 2017 by extending a
to benefit from the BRI
that countries have to pay within a fixed systems. In Sri Lanka, multiple infrastructure uncertainties have deepened after the $5 billion line of credit and economic while maintaining diplomatic
number of years. The west has accused At the centre of the CPEC was the $700 projects that were being financed by Taliban takeover last year. assistance. BRI projects include and strategic ties with both
China of debttrapping by extending million development of the city of China came under the fold of the BRI ChinaBangladesh Friendship Bridges, India and China. It has
“predatory loans” that force countries to Gwadar into a smart port city that would after it was launched in 2013. How have projects from India and special economic zones, the $689.35 managed to not upset India
cede key assets to China. However, become the “Singapore of Pakistan”. The island nation in the last couple of China progressed in Maldives? millionKarnaphuli River tunnel project, by getting India to build
research indicates that low and Gwadar is strategically important as it is years has witnessed competition between Situated in the middle of the Indian upgradation of the Chittagong port, and a infrastructure projects
middleincome countries are often the an hour’s drive from Iran and less than India and China in port terminal and Ocean, Maldives comprises two hundred rail line between the port and China’s similar to BRI in the
country.
ones to approach China after not being 320 km from Oman. According to the energy projects. In 2021, Colombo islands, and both India and China have Yunnan province. However, multiple
able to secure loans from elsewhere. In master plan for Gwadar’s development ejected India and Japan out of a deal to strategic interests there. One of the most projects have been delayed owing to the
recent years, the BRI seems to have under BRI, approved in 2020, it would develop the East Container Terminal at prominent BRI projects undertaken in slow release of funds by China.
CM S BM-BME
YK
wednesday, july 6, 2022
& Context
Text | II
The good old days: Bengaluru is quickly losing its trademark greenery due to the unchecked growth of the city. *

FILE PHOTO
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bengaluru: Memories of a city

The transformation of Bengaluru into a metropolis almost overnight has been aptly captured by FROM THE ARCHIVES
contemporary Indian English writers
Ranjani Srinivasan Indian English literature rooted in the city. dysfunction. Formerly acquainted with
middleclass mores, the family struggles to
Know your
Over the years, Bengaluru has been bestowed
with an assortment of monikers. If it goes by
‘Garden City’ to tourists and geography buffs, it is
A shifting landscape
Scholars and novelists alike agree that the essence
of the city was recast by the IT boom triggered in
confront their behavioural changes that have been
triggered by wealth. Confined within their lives,
the novel conveys a larger truth about the city —
English
known as a ‘concrete jungle’ to those who rue the the 1990s. Bengaluru went from being a pleasant, too much of anything is bad.
passage of a simpler time marked by ubiquitous accommodating abode to a city that had “Good morning, sir”
greenery. While young entrants to the globalised expanded beyond its capacity. Highrise buildings, Flocking for jobs “Good morning.”
workforce call it ‘the Silicon Valley of India’, the malls, airports, unforgiving traffic and As scores of hopeful youth migrated to the city in “Is ‘rubbish’ used as a verb sir?”
city’s salubrious weather and leafy locales have perpetuallyinprogress construction projects search of employment, Bengaluru embraced a “Yes. Australians started using it as a verb
established it as a retiree’s haven. What is became symbols of the city’s aggression. With new work culture. In Arvind Adiga’s and now it is used by others also. ‘To
undeniable, however, is the pride attached to time, commute became daunting, and pedestrian Bookerwinning novel The White Tiger (2008), the rubbish’ means ‘to throw it out as useless’,
‘Namma Bengaluru’ — a tag that unifies a city indulgences like street shopping and haggling reader is introduced to a dogeatdog world — a ‘to criticise severely’.
constantly absorbing new identities. became rare. In her book The Promise of the competitive Bengaluru with little room for He would have rubbished you if you had
Metropolis: Bangalore's Twentieth Century compassion. Balram Halwai, new to the city, been here.
Origins of the city (2005), scholar Janaki Nair describes how ‘the assimilates himself into the ambitious, detached He rubbished me to my brother.
According to a myth, Bengaluru is said to have happy commingling of traffic and commerce on and entrepreneurial workforce. Opportunities are I got rubbished by my boss.
acquired its name from an incident in which a the street’ has been replaced with a preference for plenty, and loyalty is scarce; it is unusual for The speaker rubbished the very idea of
hungry, wandering king was served boiled beans malls and supermarkets. employees to stay in any job for long. He democracy”.
by a generous woman from the erstwhile town. observes, “Today, in Bangalore, I can't get enough “What are the other ways of saying ‘Can
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Overcome by gratitude, the king decided to name people for my business. People come and people you come with me for a walk’, sir?”
the land ‘BendaKaaluru’ or the city of boiled In the genre of Indian writing in English, go. Good men never stay”. Similarly, in Girish “Can you come with me for a walk? Could
beans. Bengaluru has been largely defined by a Karnad’s play Boiled Beans on Toast (2014), a you come with me for a walk? Would you
In conventional history, Bengaluru’s origin dizzying excess of development and an conversation between two characters reveals that please come with me for a walk? Would you
dates back to 1537, when the city was founded by everexpanding job market in the age of globalisation, one “must move mind coming with me for a walk? Do you
Kempegowda, a ruler from the Vijayanagara quickly, from job to job and upwards.” mind coming with me for a walk? I wonder if
Empire. The city has since been witness to a rich The arrival of information technology also A different facet of globalisation is unravelled in you could come with me for a walk. I
history spanning the Adil Shahi dynasty, the came with changes in the city’s cultural makeup. Anjum Hasan’s Neti, Neti (2009), which wonder if you could possibly come with me
Wodeyars, the Mughals and the British East India T. J. S. George, writing from the vantage point of challenges the idea that Bengaluru is a city for a walk. Won’t you come with me for a
Company. Designated the capital of the erstwhile someone who has lived in thriving hubs of “where the best opportunities are”. The city is walk? These are not identical. What you
state of Mysuru in 1947, Bengaluru subsequently economic activity — including Hong Kong and instead rebranded as the outsourcing capital of choose depends on how you feel.”
became the capital of Karnataka following the erstwhile Bombay — describes Bengaluru as an the country, where employees, trapped in call “What’s the difference between ‘dispense’
State’s formation in 1956. However, the city’s story ‘urban demographic nightmare’ in Askew (2016). centres and subtitling firms, are given the less and ‘distribute’, sir?”
during the final decades of the 20th century is In his short biography of the city, the writer links desirable duties of their American and English “You distribute individually something
one of exponential growth. Bengaluru’s newfound modernity and enterprise counterparts. that is limited in number or quantity.
Writings on Bengaluru in the late 20th century with the linguistic and cultural conundrums that In the genre of Indian writing in English, Prizes were distributed to successful
express anxiety about the future of a city that was plague its denizens. Bengaluru’s new economy Bengaluru has been largely defined by a dizzying candidates.
growing too fast. and burgeoning migrant workforce eventually led excess of development and an everexpanding job Clothes were distributed to the needy.
In her chapter in the anthology Multiple City to inevitable questions about ‘what was market. The city has today come far from its good We dispense to all. Nature dispenses her
(2008), renowned Bengaluruborn artist Bangalore’ and ‘who is a Bangalorean’. The only old days, let down by unplanned growth and bounty to all. Courts dispense justice. They
Pushpamala N. writes, “At the end of the dominant language became that of money. unchecked administration. While the city may be don’t distribute justice to a few. A dispensary
millennium, Bangalore seemed to illustrate the The city’s uneasy departure from simpler times saturated with onceuponatime narratives, fond dispenses medicines. Medicines are not
Third World cliché of a small town breaking out is also portrayed in Vivek Shanbag’s Ghachar recollections of Bengaluru in its heyday serve as distributed by the dispensary. An individual
with sudden violence into a metropolis”. This Ghochar (2015). Translated from Kannada, the motivation to restore some of its former glory. or organisation may distribute medicines to
overnight transformation of Bengaluru into a story follows a Bengalurubased family who come After all, few other cities spark nostalgia like the poor.”
metropolis is aptly captured in contemporary into new money and gradually spiral into Bengaluru. “What is a ‘raincheck’, sir?”
“I’ll give you a context for it.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC “Why don’t you have lunch with me
tomorrow?”
THE DAILY QUIZ “I am sorry I am not free tomorrow. Could
I take a raincheck on it?”
The present and 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born on July 6, 1935. Here’s a quiz on the spiritual leader. ‘To take a raincheck’ is to ‘promise to
accept an invitation at a later date.’ It is a
colloquial expression. The term was perhaps
1 Following the 1989
Tiananmen Square protests,
the 14th Dalai Lama was
towards bodhi ('awakening') or
Buddhahood.
F The Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of the spiritual being pictured on the
left in the fourarm Tibetan form. Identify the being. WIKIPEDIA COMMONS *
first coined by the Detroit Base Ball
Association in America in 1890. When any
base ball match was interrupted by rain, a
presented this award for "the
struggle of the liberation of Tibet
and the efforts for a peaceful
4 Inner World is a studio album
released by the 14th Dalai
Lama in 2020. The charttopping Please send in your answers to the dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
‘raincheck’ was given for use at a later date.
Even today when any match is interrupted, a
resolution" and "in part a tribute album features multiple raincheck is given.”
to the memory of Mahatma acclaimed artists, including an Questions (abridged) and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. The Mac “How do you pronounce ‘preside’, sir?”
Gandhi". Name the award. Indian sitar player and composer
in the macOS operating system stands for this. Ans: Macintosh, McIntosh apples “It is pronounced prizaid. ‘zaid’ rhymes
also known for her activism.
2. The name of the business partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen with with ‘tide’, ‘hide’ and ‘side’. The ‘e’ in ‘pre’
2 This approach is known for
being the 14th Dalai Lama’s
Name the artist.
Paul Gilbert. Ans: Traf-O-Data is pronounced like the ‘i’ in ‘bit’. The stress
adopted method for resolution
of the issue between Tibet and
China. The essence of this
5 The 1959 Tibetan uprising
triggered the 14th Dalai
Lama’s escape from Lhasa, Tibet
3. The first video uploaded on YouTube in 2005. Ans: Me at the zoo
4. This was an audio streaming service provider, originally launched in 1999 and
is on the second syllable ‘zaid’. Well, let’s
stop here. Goodbye.”
shut down in 2001 after losing a wave of lawsuits. Ans: Napster “Thank you, sir. Goodbye.”
approach is based on the to India, where he was welcomed
principle that besides by the Indian authorities. In 5. The multinational manufacturing conglomerate which uses Tizen. Ans: Samsung
independence, all other issues which Indian town was he 6. The current name of the company Oculus which Facebook acquired in 2014. Ans:
can be resolved through peaceful received? Reality Labs
and mutually beneficial 7. The media company which Amazon acquired in 2021. Ans:
negotiations. Name the
approach. 6 Also known as ‘Little Lhasa’
or ‘Dhasa’, this suburb in
Himachal Pradesh is named after
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Visual: This film is a 2010 American biographical drama film which is directed by For feedback and suggestions for
David Fincher. Ans: The Social Network. It talks about the formation of Text & Context, please write to
3 Identify this term which, in
Buddhism, denotes any
person who is on the path
Sir Donald Friell McLeod, a
Lieutenant Governor of Punjab.
Identify the suburb.
Facebook letters@thehindu.co.in with the
subject ‘Text & Context’
Early Birds: Mahmood Lebbai| Ashraf Basha| Abhiram| Tasneem Qureshi| Rupali
Compiled by: Ranjani Srinivasan Chaudhari
CM S BM-BME
YK
MUMBAI
4 THINK BusinessLine
WEDNESDAY • JULY 6 • 2022
0
xyz
wednesday, july 6, 2022

Is NITI Aayog’s climate index status quoist?
The weights attached to the six parameters have skewed the rankings of States and need to be reworked
Crude solution
AAYUSH ANAND/AMARENDU NANDY on the need for such an index. The
Centre should ensure that levies on windfall benchmarking exercise can be a
T
he State Energy and Cli powerful nudge, particularly for
gains and export tax on fuels are temporary steps mate Index (SECI), re laggard States, helping them reas
cently launched by the sess their policies and implementa
E
xtraordinary times call for extraordin NITI Aayog, aims to track tion strategy visàvis their peers.
and benchmark the efforts made by
ary measures. This seems to be the most
States and Union Territories (UTs) in The lacunae
charitable explanation one can give for the climate and energy sector, cap SECI, however, suffers from certain
the Centre’s decision last week to im turing dimensions such as energy limitations that need to be urgently
pose a windfall profits cess of ₹23,250 per tonne access, consumption, efficiency, addressed to make it more mean ducing AT&C losses and for better which have been at the forefront of
on domestic crude producers, and special addi and environmental protection. ingful and consistent with its over targeting DBT schemes for redu notifying and implementing the
NITI Aayog policy experts expect arching objective. cing deadweight losses of Discoms. Energy Conservation and Building
tional excise duty of ₹6 per litre on petrol and avi SECI to trigger a competitive spirit One, there seems to be a conflict There is a need to revisit the design Code 2017, do not even figure in the
ation turbine fuel (ATF) exports, and ₹13 on diesel among States and UTs and hope between SECI’s current design and and methodology to make the In top 10 of the SECI list.
exports. Exporters will also need to declare that that consistent with the spirit of co the core philosophy that it pro dex genuinely progressive. Finally, there is no consideration
they will supply at least 50 per cent of their export operative federalism, such an exer pounds. Among the different para in the Index for measuring the
cise at the subnational level shall meters the Index considers, Dis Clean power PPAs States’ progress toward ‘Just Trans
quantity in domestic markets. Mercifully, smaller cumulatively contribute to helping coms performance is assigned a Three, the Index appears to pro ition’. SECI rankings indicate, quite
producers with less than 2millionbarrel crude India fulfil its commitments on cli disproportionate weight (40 per mote a status quoist approach inso predictably, that coalrich States are
output will be exempt from the windfall cess, and mate change and clean energy cent) compared to those that track far as energy management is con the worst performers. However, in
so will be any production by large companies over transition in the global fora. efforts made by States and UTs in cerned. A recent McKinsey report ternational experience suggests
Notably, India’s Panchamrit ele transitioning toward clean energy suggests that grid emissions can be that implementing ‘Just Transition’
and above last year’s output.
ments, presented at the COP26 Con (15 per cent); in driving environ considerably reduced through policies require longterm plan
With the RussiaUkraine conflict and surging ference in Glasgow, aim to meet 50 mental sustainability (12 per cent); Clean Power Purchase Agreements ning, implementation, and engage
postCovid demand sending global crude oil per cent of India’s power require or in launching new initiatives (12 (PPAs), where sourcing power shall ment.
prices shooting up over $110 barrel in the last four ments from renewable energy per cent) to lower their carbon be through optimised renewable To be fair to States fiscally de
months, Indiabased oil refiners and upstream sources by 2030; substantially re footprint. energy coupled with longduration pendent on revenues from nonre
duce the carbon emissions and in As a result of the unexplained ar energy storage systems. newable resources, SECI should
producers have enjoyed supernormal profits in tensity of the economy by 2030; bitrariness in weights, Gujarat tops Unfortunately, States have exhib ideally capture indicators of ‘Just
recent months. The Centre’s objective behind the and, reach netzero emissions by the overall score among large States ited low inertia in transitioning to Transition’ so that it encourages the
series of measures appears to be twofold. One, in 2070. The conceptualisation of in SECI Round I list, mostly riding rationale rather than motivated by wards such futuristic clean PPAs. In laggard States to strive for resilient
crease supplies of transportation fuels in the do SECI, and the commencement of on the extremely high weight as subjective and extraneous cluding indicators such as the and climateneutral economies and
benchmarking exercise through it, signed to the Discoms performance considerations. ‘State’s progress in implementing societies.
mestic market and two, tap into the superprofits is a crucial step in that direction. parameter. Interestingly, the State is Two there is an urgent need to re clean PPAs’ and their ‘efforts to de SECI is a laudable and timely initi
that the crude oil producers and refiners are mak SECI measures progress on 27 Key not even among the top six for four think and revise the weights as velop a battery ecosystem’ can ative. However, in its current form,
ing through their nimblefooted strategies. Performance Indicators (KPIs) cov out of six parameters, and despite signed to other KPIs critical to re nudge States to adopt them and SECI focusses more on highlighting
Private refiners such as Reliance Industries and ering six parameters — Discoms per the relatively unsatisfactory efforts forming the current energy value help drive policy certainty in this the symptoms rather than facilitat
formance; access, affordability and made toward driving environ chain. For example, the KPIs on re regard. ing the cure. It needs to include
Nayara Energy have been importing Russian
reliability of energy; clean energy mental sustainability and new initi newable energy penetration and Four, SECI is not progressive and more progressive indicators, and
crude at deeply discounted prices and selling re initiatives; energy efficiency; envir atives, where it ranks 9th and 13th, utilisation of RE potential, which fair to States’ making real contribu develop more objective and fair cri
fined products in global markets, thus earning onmental sustainability; and new respectively, among 20 large States. can play a vital role in bringing tions to the netzero emissions goal. teria to recognise the good and in
crack spreads of $2030 a barrel against the nor initiatives. If equal weight is assigned across down the high input cost of electri For example, the building sector, novative work done by various
mal $1213 a barrel. The diversion of private refin The exercise classifies States into all parameters, Gujarat’s position city and emission levels, have a which consumes approximately 38 States.
large and small categories and the will come down from 1st to 5th, and combined weight of only 7 per cent. per cent of India’s total annual
ing capacities to cater to export markets almost Union Territories as a separate set. Kerala, pursuing a more balanced Similarly, a small 4 per cent primary energy demand, is critical Anand is an Executive MBA student at
wholly has sparked domestic fuel shortages, with Table 1 summarises the top and bot path in climate and energy initiat weight has been assigned for the to driving a sustainable national en the Indian Institute of Management
pumps in a few States running dry. Upstream com tom three performers in each cat ives, will come out on top. Thus, it is proportion of consumers with ergy growth trajectory. (IIM) Ranchi; and Nandy is Assistant
panies such as ONGC, Oil India and Vedanta which egory, released in Round I results. imperative that the construction of smart meters. The adoption of Toward this objective, States such Professor at IIM Ranchi. Views
There can be little disagreement the Index is based on an objective smart meters is the panacea for re as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, expressed are personal
sell crude to oil marketing companies at interna
tional parity prices have seen their realisations
rise to over $110 a barrel from $7080 a barrel. The
Centre now seeks to appropriate as much as $40 a
barrel of this, which it contends is the “windfall”.
The levies put together are estimated to generate
revenues of around ₹52,000 crore for the Centre if
Reverse migration could hurt urban economy
they remain until March 2023. The smartness of
the move lies in the fact that the levies will not in The recent PLFS data reveals the extent of Covid-induced urban exodus, as well as rising labour participation in rural India
crease retail prices and have nil impact on infla PUNEET KUMAR SHRIVASTAV/ has been staying continuously for duced migration after ‘March 2020’
tion while compensating for the loss of revenues TAREEF HUSAIN at least six months or having inten are loss of job/closure of unit/lack
T
from the recent excise duty cuts on petrol and he Fourth Periodic Labour tion to stay there continuously for of employment opportunities
Force Survey (PLFS) data six months or more. (19.35 per cent), health (14 per cent),
diesel. From a macroeconomic perspective, the
released by the National A person may have many UPRs in migration of parent/earning mem
additional revenue is certainly good news for the Statistical Office (NSO), on his life span provided he/she has ber of the family, etc. (see figure).
fisc. But the fact is that the levies, especially the June 14, uncovers the muchawaited stayed at different places for at least Such reverse migration has mani
windfall profit tax on oil producers, smacks of the official statistics on migration. six months. fold implications for Indian
socialist era when profit was a dirty word and does The NSO has released the ‘Migra The report estimated that migra primary and secondary sectors, the
tion in India 202021’ report, giving tion rate in the country at 28.9 per ruralurban areas and overall eco
not go down well with the image of a business out data on Covid/lockdown in cent. The migration rate is the per nomy. In the near future, migration
friendly government. duced migration based on a sample centage of migrants in the total could slow as the PLFS unit level
The Centre must note that while imposing ad survey of 1,00,344 households con population. The migration flows data reveal that 60 per cent of re
hoc cesses may help raise opportunistic revenues, sisting of 4,10,818 persons of whom may be rural to rural; rural to turned migrants are not interested
1,13,998 were migrants. The previ urban; urban to rural and urban to in moving out to their last UPR or
it doesn’t make for sound economic policy. In the ously available migration datasets urban. any other place.
long run, it is extremely important for India to were NSSO’s 64th Round (200708) Furthermore, the categorisation The Worker Population Ratio
step up its domestic exploration efforts and re on migration followed by Census of migrant based on gender and (WPR) in rural areas rose to 41.3 per
duce its import dependency on crude oil. Appro 2011. level of education reveals interest cent in 202021 from 35 per cent in
However, in 202021, the Labour ing results. Female migration is 201718. Similarly, the share of em
priating excess profits of upstream companies
Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Em much higher (81.1 per cent) than March 24, 2020, to restrain the down on migrants using a cutoff ployment in agriculture increased
during good times while doing nothing to sup ployment, started the All India Sur male (18.8 per cent), the main Covid19 pandemic. point ‘March 2020’. Out of total mi from 42.4 per cent in 201819 to 46.4
port them in bad times, is far from conducive to vey of Migrant Workers, but the reason being ‘marriage’. Among the vulnerable popula grants in India (that is, 28.9 per cent per cent in 202021, again not a pos
oil capex. Sudden interventions in the commer data and report is yet to be released. Across education level, the tion, migrant workers had been the of total population), 3.14 per cent itive sign for a healthy economy.
cial decisions of refiners and producers will also Some other private organisations highest percentage of migration most exposed to unemployment had migrated after ‘March 2020’ as On the other side, the urban eco
and agencies such as the Azim was found to be among illiterates and starvation as they suddenly lost shown in the report. Further, the nomy is facing a shortage of skilled
undermine efforts to draw investments into the Premji University have conducted (33 per cent) followed by primary their livelihood. unit level data of PLFS reported that and unskilled labour especially in
sector or disinvest PSUs in future. Cesses in India, surveys on migration and lock educated (19 per cent), secondary Stranded in other States and during 202021, the ‘reverse mi the secondary sector; and the ab
once imposed, have a habit of staying long bey down. Prior to the present survey, and senior secondary (18 per cent), metro cities with no work and in grant or returned migrant’ estim sence of technological develop
ond their promised tenure. In this case, it is crit hardly any recent official statistics middle (17 per cent) and graduate come, they suffered economic prob ated to be 11.1 per cent of the total ment of the secondary sector may
was available on the flow of migra and above (11 per cent) suggesting lems and psychological trauma. migrants. hit industrial production.
ical for the government to keep its word on peri tion, migrant workers and reverse that the incidence of migration was Thus far, much has been said of the The returned migrants are those
odically reviewing these levies to lift them as soon migrant workers. higher among the illiterate and less plight of migrants and reverse mi who moved to their earlier UPR Shrivastav is Assistant Director at
as supernormal profits evaporate. The NSO defines a migrant as an educated, as is expected. gration due to lockdown in the ab (where they have resided any time National Institute of Labour
individual residing at the ‘present sence of official statistics. in the past) from their last UPR. Economics Research & Development
place of enumeration (PoE) that is Lockdown and migration This PLFS data was collected dur However, this reverse migration (Under NITI Aayog); and Husain is
different from his/her usual place A significant number of migrants ing the July 2020 to June 2021 found to be as high as 53 per cent Assistant Professor of Economics at
of residence (UPR)’. UPR is the place had a harrowing time when the period, hence exhibiting signific after the cutoff point ‘March 2020’. Galgotias University. Views expressed
OTHER VOICES (village/town) where the person first ever lockdown was imposed on ant statistics on the impact of lock The main reasons for Covidin are personal
Labour’s Brexit: pragmatic not revolutionary

LET TERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.
After whipping his MPs to support Boris Johnson’s bad deal, Give women a chance Farmers’ credit dilemma reluctant to fund the needs of occupation seems to be making measures should be supplemen
and then taking a vow of silence as a repenting remainer, This refers to the report “Has the This refers to the article ‘Meeting farmers, besides stopping banks the BJP win all electoral battles. ted with fiscal policy interven
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has spelled out how he would gig economy failed to ‘deliver’ for farmers credit needs’ (July 5). Des from obtaining gold as security for The precarious economic condi tions.
make Brexit “work”. This is good news. No amount of women workforce?” (July 5). pite the Nabard’s efforts to ensure agriculture credit. tion is largely ignored with doses Though other currencies like
flagwaving can hide the damage being inflicted on the
There are an estimated 15 mil credit to farmers through Re VSK Pillai of nationalism. This can be a re Chinese Yuan, Thai Baht and South
economy by Brexit, or the parliamentary inability to check Changanacherry
lion gig workers in India of which gional Rural Banks, Cooperative cipe for disaster. Korean Won have depreciated
ministerial power grabs. On Monday Sir Keir and the party’s
less than 10 per cent are women. Banks and Scheduled Commercial Anthony Henriques more than the rupee, these coun
Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar, made important speeches to Mumbai
Moreover, the female workforce Banks, farmers still remain under Forex worries tries have substantial trade sur
address how Labour would deal with the constitutional and
is skewed. served. Although banks provide Economic distress of our neigh pluses vissvis China ($676 bil
economic challenges that Brexit posed. Sir Keir’s plan dealt
While beauty, health, wellness, loans at lower interest farmers are bours Pakistan and Sri Lanka Arresting rupee slide lion), Thailand ($3.6 billion) and
with the acute problems the country faced. LONDON, JULY 4
nursing and domestic work have dependent on the private money should make us wary about the This refers to the Editorial ‘Slip South Korea ($29.5 billion) provid
more than 50 per cent women lenders who levy exorbitant rates. not so rosy picture painted by the pery slope’ (July 5). The fact that ing them stability. India does not
partners, in typical gig economy Funding Microfinance institu article ‘Are India's foreign reserves the rupee’s depreciation is driven have the same luxury with portfo
jobs like food and grocery deliver tions for the onward deployment adequate’. Though the foreign cur by external factors, scrimps our lio investments (FPI, FII) being in
ies men dominate. This shows that of funds to the rural agrisegments rency reserves may seem adequate options to prevent its slide. RBI has the nature of hot money.
Investment important to overcome high prices only some jobs are deemed suit becomes costly to the enduser. the flow of dollars out of India shifted its gear from “growth’ to Rupee depreciation should
able for women. A considerable amount of agri should worry us all. ‘inflation management” due to boost India’s exports which
It is concerning that business sentiment in the manufacturing
Lack of skill in the use of smart culture loans at a subsidised rate Stock market indices were rise in commodity prices includ should be promoted to fill the gap
sector, which had been expected to drive the economic
recovery with its strong performance, is declining
phones, digital tools and know of interest are diverted for pur wrongly assumed to be an accur ing crude oil which threatened to created on account of Russia
conspicuously. In the Bank of Japan’s Tankan quarterly ledge of modern technology also poses other than farming activit ate indicator of the strength of the derail the economy. Also rising in Ukraine war.
economic survey for June, the diffusion index for large hinder women workers. But train ies, which defeat the objective of economy. When FIIs took the flation has been putting pressure Also special drive to attract NRI
manufacturing companies, a main indicator of business ing and flexible working hours farm lending. money out, the Finance Minister on USDRupee exchange rate. deposits with competitive returns
sentiment, declined five points from the March survey to nine. can help women surmount these The RBI and Nabard must was quick to thank the Indian re Through monetary measures should bring in some stability to
This is the second consecutive quarterly deterioration. By hurdles. strengthen their surveillance sys tail investor for faith in the RBI has only a limited scope to con the falling rupee.
industry sector, the iron and steel sector and other materials YG Chouksey tems and initiate actions against markets. trol inflation and ensure stability Srinivasan Velamur
Pune the financial institutions that are The government’s primary pre of rupee. Hence RBI’s monetary Chennai
industries fared poorly. TOKYO, JULY 5
Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by N. Vaidyanathan at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No. 22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). ISSN 0971 - 7528
CM . ..... .... ...BM-BME

YK
MUMBAI
BusinessLine
WEDNESDAY • JULY 6 • 2022 THINK 5
Strengthening cooperatives
Computerisation of PACS, GeM platform push are positives
The EV market is all charged up
HEMA YADAV would be economically beneficial to the Despite issues of charging logistics and battery fires, the sales of EVs are moving into higher gear
members of the societies.
T
he Union Cabinet, through noti (ii) The cooperative societies can procure company like BYD, which is far ahead of
fication dated July 6, 2021, created from about 45 lakh authenticated sellers/ most rivals, has faced vehicle fires from
a new Ministry of Cooperation. In service providers available across the coun shortcircuiting batteries. One bus
one year of its formation, the Min try on a single GeM platform. caught fire in Telangana a few months
istry has initiated significant steps to (iii) Following the standard procedures ago. Even worse, in China’s Guangxi
strengthen cooperative societies. on GeM would lead to saving of time and re Zhuang Autonomous Region, one bus
The aim is to deepen cooperatives as a duction in the administrative burden. that was charging caught fire and the
true peoplebased movement reaching up (iv) It would enhance the credibility of flames spread to four others. One Tata
to the grassroots and develop a cooperative the cooperatives as complaints of misman PARAN BALAKRISHNAN Nexon, too, had a vehicle go up in flames
based economy model to realise the Prime agement of funds will get reduced. in June.
Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of GeM will provide a dedicated onboard THE WIDER ANGLE The government has launched an in
‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’. ing process for cooperatives, technical in quiry into the fires that hit the Nexon
The cooperative movement has fostered frastructure to support additional users on and also 12 twowheeler EVs. Even the
O
a membership of 270 million and a net the existing portal, and assistance to co verall sales totals still are low highly reputed Ather, which has been
work of 8.5 lakh stretching across rural In operatives through available contact but India’s electric vehicle building its network across the country
dia. And this potential is being leveraged by centres, infield training and other support makers are starting their steadily, has had one fire. Market leader
three recent steps: services. transition into the fast lane. Okinawa and also Ola, which made a
Computerisation of PACS: In a signific Marketing, branding and export: The Right now, EVs account for 7 per cent of The pace of electrifying India’s vehicle market has picked up H VIBHU highly publicised entry into scooter
ant move, the Government, on June 29, next step in the framework of enabling the Tata Motors’ sales but the vehiclemaker making, have also had vehicles going up
2022, approved the computerisation of ecosystem of computerisation and on stepped on the accelerator Monday, an in the global electric bus sector. It has building a batterymaking plant in Gu in flames. The DRDO has sent a report to
63,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative boarding of cooperative societies on GeM is nouncing it aimed to hit sales of 50,000 sold 70,000 vehicles so far, though jarat that should be in business by 2026. the government on the fires and is re
Societies (PACS). This will having a market plan with brand electric cars by fiscal yearend and mostly in China. Maruti reckons hybridvehicles will ported to have made critical comments
provide a technologyenabled ing as a core strategy. Cooperative double that next year. Last month, it sold In India, Olectra Greentech, which is have more customer appeal until on materials used in some batteries. The
level playing ground for PACS products have a huge potential in 3,500 EVs and reckons sales could be partnered with BYD, is selling its buses enough charging stations come up. government has now sent notices to Ok
that serve rural areas, particu the domestic as well as global climbing much faster without the semi nationwide to cities like Pune, Mumbai Abroad, too, EVs are picking up in inawa, Ola and other manufacturers.
larly small and marginal market as they are products by en conductor chip shortage. and Delhi. Now BYD is looking to enter countries like the UK where 175,000
farmers. tities where people and com With sales ambitions rising, competi the MPV segment with its e6 which is were registered last year, a 60 percent Vehicle recall
The computerisation will be munity are at the core. tion, understandably, is intensifying. clearly aimed at taking on the Toyota In rise from preCovid 2019 sales with the Abroad, too, giant manufacturers like
backed by cloudbased common They can be market positioned Luxury carmakers whose sales have all nova. The e6 will be on the road for ₹29 fastestmoving model the Tesla Model 3. GM, Ford and even BMW and Tesla have
software with cyber security and and subsequently branded in a grown in the pandemic’s wake believe lakh and importantly promises a range US President Joe Biden has declared half had to recall vehicles due to worries
data storage, digitisation of existing re unique way which brings out the strong as there’s a robust market for their latest 520 km. Initially, though, it will only be of all new vehicles sold in US by 2030 about batteries bursting into flames.
cords including maintenance support and pects of a cooperative business model like electric models. Mercedes Benz is put sold to business customers like tour op should be electric. (The current number GM recalled all 142,000 of its electric
training. This software will be in vernacular cooperative identity and cooperative value ting its newest model, the EQC, on In erators and taxiowners. is just 4 per cent). Bolts over an outside possibility the bat
language having flexibility of customisa of concern for the community. Branding dian roads and it’s in a race with the elec The pace of electrifying India’s vehicle Electric fourwheelers’ time has tery could catch fire.
tion as per the needs of the States. can be a reflection of the cooperative iden tric BMW iX. Both vehicles are priced at market has picked up as the govern clearly come, though worries remain EV fires are rare but can they be
Computerisation will bring transpar tity which will bring customer loyalty and slightly over ₹1 crore. Audi, meanwhile, ment seeks to achieve its goal of making about the charging logistics and stopped? They have volatile chemistry
ency and accountability to their operations increase the number of members in a busi is driving along with variations of its e 30 per cent of all vehicles sold electric by whether we’ve got the power grid to and Arun Sreyas, cofounder RACEnergy
and facilitate PACS to diversify their busi ness ambit. tron. Audi’s EVs helped push up its over 2030, though most at that point will be handle tens of millions of new EVs. which aims to create a niche in swap
ness and undertake multiple activities and The sales proceeds are directly or indir all sales by 49 per cent in the first half of two and threewheelers. Higher fuel There’s still considerable “range anxi pable batteries for passenger auto
services. This will make PACS competitive ectly used for member benefits and this 2022. prices now are also having an impact. ety.” Crucially, 60 per cent of fourwheel rikshaw threewheelers, notes it’s not
and enable them to integrate with phys can serve as a core positioning strategy. Tata Motors began its EV push by focus owners only have onstreet parking enough to buy from a reputed battery
ical, commodity and emarkets, thereby en With a marketing and branding plan, co Growing competition sing on megalopolises like Delhi and which will add considerably to the com manufacturer. (For instance, LG Energy
abling greater market access to small and operatives could be ready for exports by Other challengers, too, are emerging. Mumbai but it quickly moved to 10 cities plexities of charging EVs. Nevertheless, Solutions which has a market capitalisa
marginal farmers. proper identification of sectors, products The MG’s ZS, priced at ₹2325 lakh, is be and then 40. Interestingly, the company many gated communities are now tion of $75 billion made the batteries for
Procurement of cooperatives on GeM: and export markets. coming a popular choice for people says 75 per cent of buyers now are buy adding charging stations and builders the Bolt). That’s because the heart of the
Yet another considerable pathway has Making cooperative societies ready to wanting to go green as well as enjoy a ing EVs for primary use, not as the fam are installing them in the newest apart problem is in the cells that go into the
been procurement by cooperatives on Gov compete in the international market will good ride. One owner who recently ily’s second vehicle, and demand is ment block. batteries. “None of the batterypack
ernment eMarketplaceSpecial Purpose require training to adhere to grades, stand bought an MG ZS says running costs are countrywide. manufacturers has any control over cell
Vehicle (GeMSPV). The Ministry of Coopera ards, compliances to sanitary and an enviable ₹1 per kilometre. Then, Even Maruti, initially dubious about Fire hazard production,” says Sreyas.
tion is encouraging Multi State Cooperat phytosanitary measures, etc. A concrete there’s the Hyundai Kona and the Kia how quickly the electric revolution There’s also the tricky question of EV bat Scientists are seeking to come up with
ive Societies and Cooperative Societies re step in this direction has been the initi EV6 which boasts a 528km range. It hits would reach Indian roads, is moving tery fires that can be far tougher to extin lithiumion batteries formulations that
gistered under State Cooperative Acts to ation of training on agriexports and mak the road for ₹60 lakh. into the electric and hybridvehicle fast guish than ordinary car blazes as flames will lower the risks of blazes. Engineers
join the GeM platform for the benefit of ing a directory of cooperative brands to Still, considering China is the world lane. It’s launching a “strong hybrid” spread through chain reactions produ are also looking at ways to make batter
their members. showcase the strength of cooperatives as EV leader, alongside Tesla of course, it’s midsized SUV later this month and cing more heat in a phenomenon ies more impact resistant. But experts
Purchases through GeM will provide the socially embedded business enterprises of hardly surprising Chinese firms are hopes to offer hybrids in all ranges. Its known as thermal runway. Blazes have emphasise that EVs are a new techno
following benefits: (i) The cooperatives India. looking to edge out the global giants first pureEV is only due to hit the mar become more frequent as the number logy. In the meantime, despite safety
would get competitive prices through an from other corners of the world. ket in 2025. But Maruti expects to have of EVs on roads climb. Lithiumion bat concerns, we’re on a road on which
open and transparent process, and this The writer is Director, VAMNICOM Chinese company BYD is streets ahead one big edge over rivals because it’s also tery cells are highly flammable. Even a there’s no turning back.
SHORT TAKE
BusinessLine
The bonfire TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
of the NFTs July 6, 2002
Disinvestment panel clears sale of five ITDC hotels
T he NFT dream isn’t dead, but

it’s taken a big nonfungible
beating. The market shone glori
The Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment (CCD) has cleared
the sale of five ITDC properties and approved the transaction
documents for the privatisation of NEPA Ltd while deferring a
ously last year as cryptorich spec proposal to privatise Manganese Ore India Ltd. Bharat Hotels
ulators spent billions of dollars on Ltd had acquired Hotel Khajuraho Ashok for a consideration
the risky assets, pumping up worth ₹2.21 crore while a consortium of Ramnath Hotels
prices and profits. Now, six Private Ltd had bought the Hotel Varanasi Ashok property for
months into 2022, it’s looking ₹9.11 crore, the Union Minister for Disinvestment, Mr Arun
ugly. Shourie, said after the CCD meeting.
Monthly sales volume on the BNP Paribas to wield axe
largest NFT (nonfungible token) The French Bank, BNP Paribas, will retrench the remaining 60
marketplace, OpenSea, plunged to employees in its Indian retail business by yearend. The bank
$700 million in June, down from had retrenched 80 in February following the decision to wind
$2.6 billion in May and a far cry up its retail business. “We are slowly phasing out the
from January’s peak of nearly $5 employees in our retail setup. Some of them might be
billion. By late June the average absorbed by the bank that will acquire our retail customer
NFT sale sunk to $412, from $1,754 base,” said a senior official at BNP Paribas. The assets of the
at the end of April, according to bank, which include personal and car loans, are also soon to
NonFungible.com, which tracks be transferred to another bank.
sales on the Ethereum and Ronin Big Oil gains foothold in China
blockchains. To global oil titans, China must have seemed like a
“The crypto bear market has def resplendent feast to which they were not invited. For years,
initely had an impact on the NFT foreign oil companies had to be content with leftovers fed to
space,” said Gauthier Zuppinger, them by a protected oil sector that reserved the juiciest oil and
cofounder of NonFungible.com. gas fields for domestic firms. But after decades of frustration,
“We have seen so much specula failed projects and mediocre drillings, Royal Dutch/Shell
tion, so much hype around this Group, BP Plc and ExxonMobil Corp may finally get to tuck in.
kind of asset,” he added. “Now we The difference this time: China needs Big Oil — both its
see some sort of decrease just be expertise and dollars — to help streamline its centrally
cause people realise they will not planned energy industry and reform the lumbering sector.
become a millionaire in two days.”
The NFT market has collapsed
along with cryptocurrencies,
which are typically used to pay for
the assets, at a time when central
banks have jacked up rates to com
bat inflation, and risk appetite has easy bl two-way crossword 2067 not so easy
withered. Bitcoin lost around 57
per cent in the six months of the ACROSS DOWN ACROSS DOWN
year, while ether has dropped 71 1. Act of informing against one (12) 2. Gone, as food (5) 1. Formal declaration might
2. Having dined, has some coffee at
per cent. 8. Informed those in authority (8) 3. Inequitable (6) induce nation to change
entertainment (5)
For critics, the crash confirms 4. Bring into being (6) (12)
the folly of buying such assets, 9. Tardy (4) 5. Disease (7) 8. Made it known if one was in a 3. It’s not just if a run can be made
tradable blockchainbased re 11. Feeling of languor, boredom (5) 6. Parliamentary troops as wellknown setting (8) from it (6)
cords linked to digital files such as 12. Fish related to skate; weapon (7) reorganised by 9. Is not quick to make worm a
images or videos, often artwork. Cromwell (3,5,4) legless lizard (4) 4. Make something react
13. Curved part of foot (4) differently with Ecstasy (6)
The Malaysian businessman who 7. Not worthy of note (12) 11. Boredom shown by nine
15. Domestic slave in Old English
bought an NFT of Jack Dorsey’s 10. Forelimb (3) about to make a forbidden S. Sells, in error, such a malady (7)
times (4)
first tweet for $2.5 million last year 14. Firebasket of beacon (7) turn (5)
struggled to get bids of more than 19. Former viceroy of Egypt (7) 6. Cromwell’s soldiers, and we old
16. Fivedollar bill (3) 12. Marine weapon, or depot
a few thousand dollars when he 20. Entities (L) (5) men Mary organised (3,5,4)
17. Felt hat with curled that supplies it (7)
tried to resell it in April. 22. Male voice (4) brim (6) 13. So waggish, it may put one’s 7. It doesn’t stand out from a
The future of NFTs is distinctly 18. Calculate (6) back up (4) number Laker might have
23. Voracious reader (8)
uncertain, as the era of low in 21. Plant spine (5) 15. Old slave had seen it coming achieved (12)
terest rates which encouraged in 24. Amusing; playing host (12)
to him (4) 10. Get guns to go in the sleeve (3)
vestors to take risky bets comes to 19. The king perhaps hid Eve
an end. with the viceroy of Egypt (7) 14. Secrets told about it holding a
Some market watchers say the SOLUTION: BL Two-way Crossword 2066 20. More than one ens found in signal light (7)
influence of NFTs on the art mar tea break (5) 16. Almost discover a bit of fish (3)
ket will shrink. Meanwhile, even ACROSS 1. Madder 8. China 9. Closeup 11. Triptych 12. Swank
15. Lime 16. Mix l7. User 19. Aglow 21. Temerity 24. Earlier 22. A singer otherwise 17. A hat made of a red mixture (6)
though the muchhyped vision for pronounced it to be fish (4)
a blockchainbased metaverse 25. Stain 26. Lowing 18. Count on being able to make
DOWN 2. Allow 3. Disinter 4. Rout 5. Scope 6. Tiny 7. Bash 23. He likes reading, and has his
hasn’t materialised yet, enthusi knocker without a top (6)
10. Predicate 12. Sole 13. Bungalow 14. Craw l8. Crank 20. Ocean grub in the library (8)
asts expect NFTs to shake up the
21. Task 22. Moat 23. Yawl 24. Having people home may be 21. Though cut by fifty per cent, the
gaming industry, for example by
diversionary (12) Navy can still be sharp (5)
allowing players to own ingame
assets such as avatar skins. REUTERS
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L Udaipur transferred the
tailor-beheading case to
the National Investigative
Agency (NIA). Even the
Rajasthan Government, other-
FDOGLJLWDODQGELRORJLFDOVSKHUHVµ$UHZHHYHQQHDU wise accused of soft-pedalling
,QGXVWU\":HOOFHUWDLQIDFWVDUHLQGHHGGLVFRQ Muslim fanaticism, is treating
FHUWLQJ)RUDOOWKHWDONDERXWEHLQJDQHPHUJLQJHFR the case as an act of terror with
QRP\RUDVPRUHHQWKXVLDVWLFVRXOVFDOOLWDULVLQJ foreign linkage. The same day,
however, a vacation Bench of the
HFRQRPLFSRZHUWKHUHDOLW\LVWKDWRXUSHUFDSLWDLQFRPH Supreme Court held Nupur
LVEHORZEHORZWKDWRI%DQJODGHVK·V,QGLDLV Sharma morally culpable for
DSRRUFRXQWU\SODFHGDWWKHQGUDQNLQWHUPVRI the Udaipur killing. The Bench,
SHUFDSLWDLQFRPH%HVLGHVPDQXIDFWXULQJKDVQRWEHHQ comprising Justices Surya Kant
and JB Padrewala, orally
GRLQJZHOOVLQFH,WVVKDUHLQWKHFRXQWU\·V observed that she was “single-
JURVVYDOXHDGGHG*9$KDVFRPHGRZQIURP handedly responsible” for what
SHUFHQWLQWRSHUFHQWLQ was happening in the country
<HWLWZRXOGQRWEHYHU\FRUUHFWWRVD\WKDWWKHUH like the “unfortunate incident” in
Udaipur. One is sure that Riyaz
LVQRKRSH$V3ULPH0LQLVWHU0RGLVDLG´$OOSURJUDPPHVODXQFKHGWRGD\DUHJRLQJWR Akhtari and Ghaus Mohammed,
VWUHQJWKHQ(DVHRI'RLQJ%XVLQHVVDQG(DVHRI/LYLQJ7KH\·OOJLYHDILOOLSWR,QGLD·VVWDUW arrested on charges of Udaipur
XSHFRV\VWHP,QGLDFDQSURXGO\VD\WKDWLWLVQRWMXVWSDUWRIWKH,QGXVWU\5HYROXWLRQ murder, will not fail to take Uloom, Deoband, accessed look their own Achilles’ heel. bers of Al-Jamaa Al-
EXWLVDFWXDOO\OHDGLQJLWµ+HVDLGWKLVZKLOHODXQFKLQJPXOWLSOHGLJLWDOSRUWDOVDWWKH'LJLWDO advantage of the Supreme online. An inquirer sought to It is speculative if Islamiyya. Foga often dared
Court’s observations during know about the punishment Christians of India would advocates of Sharia rule in
,QGLD:HHNRQ0RQGD\$OO,QGXVWU\WHFKQRORJLHVDUHQRWRQO\EHLQJXVHGLQ their trial. of blasphemy against Prophet come out with kitchen knives Egypt to show how possibly
,QGLD EXW DUH SURPRWHG E\ WKH *RYHUQPHQW ,Q )HEUXDU\ WKLV \HDU IRU LQVWDQFH WKH Way back in September Mohammed in India, and if Nupur had expressed grave they would deal with modern
*RYHUQPHQWUHOHDVHGDQDWLRQDOVWUDWHJ\IRUDGGLWLYHPDQXIDFWXULQJDOVRFDOOHG'SULQW 1934, one Abdul Qayum stabbed under Islamic law respec- doubts on Jesus Christ’s mir- problems like housing short-
LQJWRHQFRXUDJHLQWHUIDFHEHWZHHQDFDGHPLD*RYHUQPHQWDQGLQGXVWU\7KHREMHFWLYH to death Nathuramal Sharma tively (Question ID=2019). acles of loaves and fishes age in Cairo. Foda had been
inside the Court of the Judicial The answer ie fatwa raining from heaven. Or accused of blasphemy by Al-
ZDVWRPDNH,QGLDDJOREDOKXEIRUGHVLJQGHYHORSPHQWDQGGHSOR\PHQWLQWKHVHFWRU Commissioner of Sind. The lat- (1386/1226=B) says that pun- would the Indian ambas- Azhar University, though that
7KH 'HSDUWPHQW RI 6FLHQFH 7HFKQRORJ\ LV LPSOHPHQWLQJ WKH 1DWLRQDO 0LVVLRQ RQ ter was waiting for his turn to be ishing a criminal guilty is the sador to Israel Sanjeev Singla did not authorise his assassi-
,QWHUGLVFLSOLQDU\&\EHU3K\VLFDO6\VWHPV10,&36WRSURPRWHUHVHDUFKWUDLQSHUVRQ heard under Section 195 of duty of the Government not would have been hurriedly nation by member of an
QHOGHYHORSWKHUHOHYDQWWHFKQRORJLHVLQFXEDWHHQWUHSUHQHXUVKLSDQGSURPRWHLQWHUQDWLRQ Indian Penal Code for publica- individuals though one summoned to Israel’s Islamist organisation. His
tion of a pamphlet on the histo- should try one’s level best to Ministry of Foreign Affairs at killer Abu El’Ela Abdrabu,
DOFROODERUDWLRQ$VPDQ\DVWHFKQRORJ\LQQRYDWLRQKXEVKDYHDOUHDG\EHHQHVWDE ry of Islam. The case of Abdul punish such a perpetrator 9, Yitzhak Rabin Boulevard at released from prison in 2012,
OLVKHGLQUHSXWHGLQVWLWXWHVDFURVVWKHFRXQWU\LQDGYDQFHGWHFKQRORJLHVLQFOXGLQJPDFKLQH Qayum was argued by Barkat according to Indian Kiryat HaLeom in Jerusalem, later said in a television inter-
OHDUQLQJDQGDUWLILFLDOLQWHOOLJHQFH7KH*RYHUQPHQW·VGHVLUHWROHDG,QGXVWU\LVWKHUH Ali, a barrister from Lahore. “He Constitution. Under an C74340C7C7A40CB if Nupur had expressed a view that the punishment of
LWKDVDOVRPDGHVRPHHIIRUWVLQWKDWGLUHFWLRQ:KDW300RGLKDVWRHQVXUHLVWKDWWKH went to the length of saying” — Islamic country, the culprit is negative opinion on certain an apostate (one who leaves
as BR Ambedkar informs — to be killed. C>=D?DA0A4=>C acts of Moses or Prophet Islam) is death, even if he
VFRXUJHVWKDWSODJXHGWKHHDUOLHUURXQGVRILQGXVWULDOL]DWLRQ³ VWDWLVWSROLFLHVWKHLQVWL
WXWLRQDOLVHGDQWLEXVLQHVVDWWLWXGHH[FHVVLYHUHJXODWLRQUHGWDSHHWDO ³ GRQ·WEHOHD
“that Qayum was not guilty of
murder of Nathuramal because
The acts of the enthusi-
asts, it is evident, are not with-
0A18CA0AH*C74A4 Isaiah in the Old Testament?
Neither Judaism nor
repents.
In India, the emphasis
JXHU,QGXVWU\,WZLOOEHDSLW\LIWKDWKDSSHQV his act was justifiable by the law out sanction in Islam. Those 8B03458=8C410B8B Christianity at present has always been on tolerat-
of Koran” (Pakistan or Partition
of India, P147). It would be
issuing death threats, or car-
rying out executions, feel
C>C74<8=8B;0<82 enforces blasphemy, which
explains why no Christian or
ing Muslims. Going into
fundamentals of Islam,
?82D1<; unsurprising if Riyaz & Ghaus
also argue that they had done
self-righteous in doing so in
the light of Islamic laws.
;0FC78B4G?;08=B Jew views defending the hon-
our of their Prophets with the
therefore, appeared to be
going for the jugular of the
nothing wrong according to the Accepting even that Nupur F7H0;0A64 aid of swords or guns as part religion. Even the judiciary,
laws of Islam by beheading had been wrong, no Maulana =D<14A>5 of their religion. This allows the lighthouse of rationality,
Kanhaiya Lal Teli, the tailor. or Mufti has yet come for- critical and historical exam- felt shaken by it.
Nupur Sharma has received ward to correct her on facts. <DB;8<BC7>D67C ination of those religions In July 2009, Justices
a flurry of death threats, from Would that not have been the C74B0<4F0H possible without any fear of RV Raveendran and
India and abroad, most of which most civilised way of dealing lethal reprisal. Any such exer- Markandeya Katju had buck-
she possibly could not see as with the issue? Only a Salafi 34B?8C4C74502C cise with regard to Islam is led under Islamist pressure to
they clogged her email account.
These death threats are not
school cleric from Pakistan,
Engineer Muhammad Ali
C70C8=C8<830C8>= fraught with mortal risk
although, at the same time,
withdraw a Supreme Court
order (March 30, 2009) that
arbitrary, but there is a definite Mirza, was discerning enough 8B?D=8B701;4 Islam is being hailed as ‘reli- equated Muslims insistence
basis to them in Islamic law. This
explains why a large number of
to state that what Nupur said
was evidently under provoca- D=34A;0F>5 gion of peace’. This dichoto-
my begs for an answer.
on keeping beard with
“Talibanisation” of India. May
Muslims thought the same way, tion from the Muslim side. C74;0=3 On June 8, 1992, promi- Peace be upon us!
despite the fact that intimidation Her approach was that if nent Egyptian professor, (The writer is an author
is punishable under law of the Muslims wish to mock writer and human rights and independent researcher
land. The answer could be found Hinduism on theological activist Farag Foda was assas- based in New Delhi. The views
in a fatwa of Darul Ifta of Darul ground, they must not over- sinated in Cairo by the mem- expressed are personal.)
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Sir — What a travesty it is of global leader-
ship that keeps fanning the fire of war, this R^d]caXTbPS^_cTS
time in Ukraine? Whither the tenets of great PbPbbdaTSQhWX\X]WXbT[TRcX^]b_TTRWTb cf^\^ST[b)
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in misery. It should not be reduced to a game allow construction of the car-shed for
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carnating. Mankind is willingly propitiating plan to prevail on the impoverished Muslims Metro Line 3 at Aarey, a move that has met
DQGGHSLFWLWLQDUDWKHUSRRUOLJKWLQWKHH\HVRI the gods of war curse. to support the party and subscribe to its with opposition from environmental 0Rcâ
WKHHOHFWRUDWH Hindutva ideology. Also, as a goodwill ges- activists and some political parties, overturn- ¯BWPWTTaBWTXZW
R Narayanan | Navi Mumbai
:KLOH,QGLD·V*'3LVHVWLPDWHGWRKDYHJURZQ ture, Modi can accept a skull cap from a ing the previous Government’s plan to build
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SHUFHQWLQ)<%HVLGHVJURZWKLVVHHQVORZ sion that he embraces only the rulers of the By destroying the forest and cutting down S^Tb8S^]³c[XZT
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city unit chief Bhai Jagtap urging the Union Mumbaikars with support of activists and ^]Bd]SPhfXcWP
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EHDWULOOLRQHFRQRP\LWLVDORQJZD\IURPEHLQJDVXEVWLWXWHIRU&KLQDZKLFK The Sachar Commission report gives an with the plan. One of the first decisions taken
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democratically elected state governments
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KHOSWRUHVROYHIDPLO\GLVSXWHV vened to extend support to the presidential 20=3830C4B
0HGLWDWLRQKHOSVLQORRNLQJDWDSUREOHPRUGLVSXWHIURPDQHX candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Reminding the 1969 Presidential elec- >5C4=0??40;
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tion contest between Congress’ official 5>A
candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and the
QHHGVWREHFRQWUROOHGDQGEURXJKWWRDQHXWUDOSRLQW7KDWLVZK\ZH then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suppor- 2>=B284=24 parties are harassed and targeted, etc. Asserting that the 130-crore gorically mentioned that India is
VHHKRZWUDIILFVLJQDOVHQVXUHWKHVPRRWKIORZRIWUDIILFRQURDGV ted independent candidate VV Giri, when E>C48=C74 This according to KCR is nothing population cannot be a spectator, being insulted on international plat-
6LPLODUO\DWD[LPHWHULVUHDGMXVWHGWRQHXWUDORU]HURDQGVRLVWKH an appeal was made to the electoral college but murder of democracy. KCR expressed concerns at black forms due to Modi's decisions and
SHWUROYHQGLQJPDFKLQHLQRUGHUWRHQVXUHIDLUWUDQVDFWLRQ,QWKHVDPH members to vote as per their conscience, ?A4B834=C80; Touching upon the aspect of money doubling in the Modi policies; India's Father of the nation
ZD\ZKHQZHQHHGWRFKDQJHWKHFRORXURIFORWKHVZHKDYHWRILUVW KCR urged all MPs and MLAs to once again
vote as per their conscience this time irre-
4;42C8>= how the BJP rulers are conspiring to
destabilize the state governments,
regime, depreciation of rupee to
an all-time low, privatization of
is insulted repeatedly by the Modi's
men; Modi is unnecessarily interfer-
EOHDFKDQGPDNHWKHPZKLWHZKLFKLVDQHXWUDOFRORXU7KHUHLVD spective of party affiliations. 0=3C74 KCR said the Modi government has profit-making public-sector under- ing in elections of other countries as
QHXWUDOSRZHUDERYHDOOFUHDWLRQWKDWDFWVQHXWUDOO\WREULQJWKHFUHD
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KCR argued that Yashwant Sinha would
be a better choice when compared to NDA
C4;0=60=0 toppled nine Opposition-ruled
states.
takings, including LIC. The infer-
ence is that the Modi government
he supported Donald Trump in the
US elections; Harassment of states
candidate Droupadi Murmu, in view of his 2<:2A Taking serious objection to played a major role in the decline of and exploitation of the constitution-
ability to bring a qualitative change in pol- Modi’s exerting pressure on Sri all sectors. al bodies continue.
itics. And thus, KCR had every reason to 0A6D438=0= Lankan government to allot contract Referring to the period of In his concluding remarks, KCR
make an appeal for a conscience vote in favor 033A4BBC> works to his favored persons, which corona crisis, KCR said that while said that it is time for people in the
of Yashwant Sinha, as he said “nothing in was openly confessed by a Sri Lanka the holy Ganga River was flooded country to wage another non-vio-
this country is going on in a rightful man- <?B 0=3<;0B Electricity Board official, KCR with corpses, while the Modi lent movement to dislodge the BJP-
ner”. KCR in his hour-long address to the C70C demanded a clarification from PM. government failed to provide any led government at the Center and
Electoral College members cited a series of He also labelled that the present cri- succor to the migrant labor, it was pave the way for a new, honest,
examples in support of his appeal for a con- H0B7F0=C sis in Sri Lanka is the handiwork of Telangana government that did its peaceful, secular, democratic and
science vote and also as to why there is a
need for qualitative changes and why there
B8=70³B Modi and Sri Lankan economy’s col-
lapse hurt India's reputation. KCR
best in extending relief to one and
all. Every policy adopted by the
progressive government. The first
step in this direction is to get
is a need for electing Yashwant Sinha to the E82C>AH hinted at fighting against this. KCR Modi government proved disastrous Yashwant Sinha elected as the
highest office.
Though PM Modi made tall promises 2>D;3 wanted Modi to disclose the inside
story of the Sri Lanka crisis.
for the country.
With statistical data, KCR
President of the country. Hence, he
made an appeal for a conscience vote
soon after assuming office, pointed out KCR, 74A0;3<0=H Criticizing the much-hyped explained how under the Modi for Sinha. In this context he made
he failed to fulfill even a single promise. In ‘Make in India’ programme, KCR regime rankings in many sectors at the timely reminder of the
addition, he enacted three draconian farm 270=64B5>A sought a clarification on job creation the international level had fallen, be Presidential contest between Neelam
laws, forcing the peasant community to sit C7414CC4A due to this, as well as industrial it Human Development Index, Sanjeev Reddy and VV Giri, when
+( ZKRP ZH NQRZ E\ GLIIHUHQW QDPHV LV ERWK ORYLQJ DQG on protests for over a year. Finally, Modi had growth in the Modi regime. KCR Human Rights, employment, hap- the conscience vote gave India its
GHWDFKHG+(LVDOZD\VQHXWUDO²+(GRHVQRWDFWRXWRIELDVOLNHV to withdraw the farm laws after 700 farmers also suggested to Modi to learn piness index, environment, etc. It President.
lost their precious lives. Also, neither the lessons from China where the rulers shows the poor performance of the KCR’s address has raised hopes
RUGLVOLNHV7KDWLVZK\HYHU\RQHSUD\VWR+,0WRVROYHWKHLUSURE farmers’ income was doubled nor Minimum speak less and work more. Modi government in the last eight that Modi can be questioned, and his
OHPVDQGWRJXLGHWKHPWRZHOOEHLQJ+HQFHLWLVLPSRUWDQWIRUKXPDQV Support Price (MSP) was increased. While the country has abundant years. actions can be opposed. KCR’s
DOVRWREHGHWDFKHGZKLOVWSHUIRUPLQJDFWLRQV)RULWLVRQO\WKURXJK KCR was sarcastic when he said that PM coal stocks, KCR asked why the Asserting that the Modi govern- speech may well be the first step in
VSLULWXDODZDUHQHVVWKDWRQHFDQDFWQHXWUDOO\DQGEHIUHHIURPWKH Modi thinks he is invincible though the 14 Modi government forced Telangana ment killed democracy and weak- the direction to restore the country
ERQGDJHRI¶.DUPD·$QGLWLVRQO\ZKHQZHSHUIRUPQHXWUDOO\WKDW Prime Ministers who preceded him never to buy 10 per cent imported coal at ened federal structure, besides back to its glorious past. It also is the
ZH FDQ HPSRZHU RWKHUV RU GR ZHOIDUH DQG FRQVWUXFWLYH ZRUN thought so. Modi is under the false impres- a higher price. Charging that Modi harassing state governments, KCR beginning to lay a strong foundation
sion that he would be the PM of India per- is working like a salesman of big took serious objection to the state- for the country to once again stand
5HPHPEHU:KHQZHDUHWRRLQYROYHGDQGDWWDFKHGWRDFWLRQVDQG manently despite the fact that political ment of a Union minister that tall with true democratic and secu-
traders, KCR said that he should
UROHVZHFDQQRWGRJRRGRUHPSRZHURWKHUVLQVSLWHRIZDQWLQJWR change in a democracy is imminent. explain why the BJP government is Telangana government would be lar values and become once again an
GRVREHFDXVHDWWDFKPHQWFUHDWHVH[SHFWDWLRQVDQGGHSHQGHQFHRQ KCR detailed how under PM Modi, the promoting coal imports. KCR toppled. He said if Modi's dictator- economic power in Asia.
SHRSOHDQGUHVXOWV country’s image all over the world lowered; sought an explanation from Modi as ial rule dethrones Telangana govern- Though KCR demanded replies
6RLQRUGHUWRDFWDQGOLYHQHXWUDOO\ZHKDYHWRFRPHWRWKH]HUR how farmers, unemployed and employees to why many major international ment, his party would unseat the from PM Modi to the points he
SRLQWLHWRDQHXWUDOSRVLWLRQ:HKDYHWRGHWDFKHYHQIURPRXUERG\ have been facing problems; how price rise companies like Fiat, Ford, GM BJP government at the Center, hint- raised, PM remained silent in his
DQGEHFRPHVRXOFRQVFLRXV$VVRXOVZHDUHWKHFKLOGUHQRI21( and inflation are uncontrolled; how the motors, Datsun, United Motors, ing that Telangana is ready for address in the public meeting held
union government is abusing the Harley Davidson stopped their busi- another big fight. after the BJP national executive com-
6XSUHPHKHQFHZHQHHGWROLYHLQWKLVZRUOGOLNHDWUXVWHHZKRRZQV Constitutional institutions; how opposition nesses in the country. Among others, KCR also cate- mittee meeting.
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hile the Shiv Sena CM candidate by ex-AIADMK clear. The AIADMK's vote chief minister six times with post and created new positions OPS blamed vested inte- strong. So just like Congress,
W has split
Maharashtra, the
AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is
in general secretary V.K. Sasikala,
EPS and OPS reached a truce
in 2017 to establish dual lead-
share stands at 25.47 per cent
in the urban local body elec-
tion. It got 33.29 per cent of
interruptions.
It is not the first time the
AIADMK is facing a split.
such as coordinator and co-
coordinator, which are also
temporary.
rests and asserted that the
general council and Monday's
meeting of top AIADMK
the BJP is riding piggyback
on AIADMK. The Dravidian
parties have had tie-ups with
engaged in a power struggle ership. Together they steered votes in the Assembly. Following MGR's death in In the current situation, functionaries were illegal. the two national parties at
with two former chief minis- the party and government suc- The charismatic matinee 1987, there was a power strug- OPS got a midnight hearing Similarly, a proposed GC on different times.
ters, E. Palaniswamy (EPS) cessfully for four years, brav- idol MGR established the gle between one faction head- before the Tamil Nadu High July 11 is also not legal. It is OPS tried to rope in the
;1<I1>9B70=:0A
and O. Pannerselvam (OPS), ing a pandemic. AIADMK on October 12, ed by MGR's wife Janaki and Court to restrict discussion doubtful whether it will take BJP, which had backed him
fighting with each other. After five decades, the 1972, two days after the parent the other by Jayalalithaa. While points in the general council place or OPS will move the earlier, but Prime Minister
In a fast-developing AIADMK is facing a bleak party DMK expelled him. He Janaki succeeded MGR as chief meeting. He thus stopped the court to stop it. Narendra Modi refused to give
drama, the EPS camp would future. Carefully built by two served as the chief minister minister for a short period, party from elevating EPS as the After Jaya, the BJP has him an audience last week. A
like to relieve OPS of his pre- former chief ministers— from 1977 till his death in both sections lost miserably to sole leader at the June 23 gen- remote control over the disappointed OPS came back
sent post of party treasurer and founder M.G. Ramachandran 1987. He chose to be on the the DMK in the 1989 polls. eral council meeting. However, AIADMK from the Centre. from Delhi and is resorting to
Deputy Leader in the and his protege J. Jayalalithaa— right side of the Centre and Then Janaki withdrew from the discussion turned ugly The change was abundantly other measures to survive.
Assembly. After losing the it is undergoing a bad patch. made compromises with the politics, and Jayalalithaa when clashes broke out clear on issues like NEET, In any political party, the
Assembly elections last year, There is a disconnect between prime ministers, including became the sole leader. between the two camps. New Education Policy, three- cadres decide who gets to lead
and successive local body polls, the leaders and cadres. Some of Indira Gandhi. OPS and EPS have taken Seventy-five district secre- language policy (giving the the party, and, in this case,
the EPS camp feels that the the party's challenges include The philosophy of DMK their fight to the general coun- taries, headquarters func- nod first and then withdraw- Panneerselvam is certainly not
dual leadership has only ham- factionalism and the approach founder and former chief cil, which has the power to tionaries, and general council ing it after the protests), the their first choice. It is about
pered the working of the party. towards the ally Bharatiya minister C.N. Annadurai elect an interim general secre- members have moved to the CAA, farmers' law, handling of time he accepted the fact and
Amid its golden jubilee Janata Party, which is trying to became the founding princi- tary, not a permanent one. EPS camp in the last few days. the pandemic, etc. worked towards gaining accep-
celebrations, the AIADMK replace the Dravidian party as ple of the AIADMK. MGR's That was how Sasikala donned OPS has the support of just The BJP is not able to pen- tance of the large number of
cadres are confused. Five years (The writer is a senior a counterforce to the DMK. successor Jayalalithaa aligned the post following the death of nine district secretaries and etrate much because of its ide- AIADMK cadre as their leader,
ago, when a relatively journalist. The views A gradual erosion in the with BJP and the Congress at Jayalalithaa. But EPS and OPS leaders like Manoj Pandian ology. In Tamil Nadu, the as, after all, courts cannot get
unknown EPS was chosen as expressed are personal.) post-Jayalalithaa era is amply different times, and became removed Sasikala from that and R. Vaithilingam. Dravidian-Tamil sentiment is him back to his workers.
12 Wednesday, 6 July 2022
Bengaluru VIEWS LIVEMINT.COM
OUR VIEW MY VIEW | ON THE OTHEr HANd

MINT
The unravelling of technology

startups holds important lessons
We mustn’t confuse easy money driven euphoria with business acumen or startup profit prospects
of a few international firms. As Al Ries earnings until 2041 in order to justify

and Laura Lies write in The Fall of Zomato’s extreme IPO price.
Advertising and the Rise of PR: “All the But all that was yesterday. In his book
recent marketing successes have been What Goes Up, Eric J. Weiner quotes
PR successes… To name a few: Star- fund manager Jerry Tsai as saying: “The
bucks, The Body Shop, Amazon.com, trouble with getting a little bit of good
Yahoo!, eBay, Palm, Google, Linus, publicity is, when something goes
PlayStation, Harry Potter, Botox, Red wrong they love to kill you on the way
Bull, Microsoft, Intel, and BlackBerry.” down. The media like to build things up
VIVEK KAUL Indian technology startup entrepre- so they can tear them down.” Or as
is the author of ‘Bad Money’. neurs drew from this insight and sold Rosenzweig puts it: “When things go
their purported ‘success’ stories to the bad, we lay blame and create villains.”
news media and on social media. While that teardown hasn’t started
The news media, perpetually in yet, the media has been reporting
Restaurants must show

search of heroes, bought their stories startup layoffs and also questioning the
and took them mass market. As Phil regulatory arbitrage that some of these
A
lmost every day, news reports Rosenzweig puts it in The Halo Effect: firms have been indulging in. In fact,
appear on technology startups “Our most compelling stories often about two decades ago, the media did a
firing people. Leaked letters place people at the center of events. stellar job of unravelling the excesses of
more market sensitivity have emerged written by venture

capitalists (VCs) to companies they
invested in that suggest India’s entre-
preneurial party time is over. Further,
When times are good, we lavish praise
and create heroes.”
This turned many startup entrepre-
neurs into societal heroes. The views
the dotcom bubble once it burst. Some-
thing similar happened after the sub-
prime crisis broke out. The media did a
great job of explaining the why, what
massive joining bonuses are not hap- they hold on various things, from the and how of that financial crisis.
pening anymore. state of the nation to investing money, The biggest lesson here is that just
Bills loaded with a service charge might be fine if these are a matter of mutual consent, but The times are changing. The situa- are somehow deemed to be important. because something has lasted for a
tion is aptly explained by paraphrasing This ignores the basic facet of life that while, it doesn’t necessarily make it
they neglect the need of customers to estimate what they’ll be asked to pay. Dump the practice a line attributed to Vladimir Lenin: human expertise is in very narrow areas. workable. Technology startups mostly
“There are months where nothing These entrepreneurs have caught the had a cash-burn model, by which they
happens; and there are months where attention of ordinary Indians. A major offered goods and services at a discount
years happen.” reason for this lies in the fact that their to build scale. Their revenues and losses
H
old that bite. India’s Central something called a ‘service tax’ in pre-GST Until just a few months ago, all was stories have been presented to the went up at the same pace; VCs funded
Consumer Protection Authority days, many diners have been paying up under well. Fresh money was being raised. world with great simplicity, almost these losses, until now. They can’t con-
Initial public offerings (IPOs) were hap- saying that if they could do it, so can tinue to do so, given that money is no
(CCPA) has spoken and it’s not the illusion of this ‘service charge’ being a state pening or being talked about. Billion you. As Rosenzweig writes: “The test of longer as cheap as it was.
music to the ears of our eatery levy. A wily ploy or not, it has fanned suspicions dollar valuations, creating new uni- a good story isn’t its responsibility to the To conclude, there are three ways in
owners. Under its new norms, of being extorted. Taken together, these two corns, were happening every other facts as much as its ability to provide a which startup entrepreneurs can make
restaurants must not levy a points of ire explain why a 10% charge could week. The media was fawning over satisfying explanation of events.” money. The first is to sell out to other
service charge on their bills, no matter what not be touted as a “best practice”—as the NRAI startup entrepreneurs. And politicians In that sense, the stories of these new entrepreneurs. Many of them managed
were using them to tell us that India’s age heroes have not taken into account to do that. The second is to come out
such a fee is called. Restaurateur lobbies had placard sought to—without facing the sort of economic story was going great guns. aspects like being at the right place at with an IPO and unload a part of their
been arguing that an add-on of 10% was usual public pushback it has. Instead of taking the Suddenly, everything seems to have the right time, or the fact that there was stake to ultra-bullish retail investors.
in many parts of the world, it served as a way to issue to court, restaurants would be better changed. The easy money that was so much easy money going around and That happened as well. Now the time
reward staff equally, and that so long as the served by adapting to an evident market flowing into the sector, thanks to the waiting to be invested. We have been for the third and only sustainable way
charge was stated upfront on a restaurant’s demand for price clarity. Dine-in prices could central banks of the rich world creating told that the ‘success’ of these entrepre- has come. Startups must ensure their
money out of thin air, has slowed. The neurs is on account of their individual revenues are greater than their costs.
menu, any patron ordering dishes listed on it simply be raised to cover every cost and dis- number of unicorns is falling. Today, competence and hard work. This leaves us with two lessons. One,
was agreeing thereby to its terms of service. To count menu cards made for home deliveries. IPOs at extreme valuations don’t stand a Further, the hope that these busi- the era in which access to easy money
drum up support for the charge, some outlets What a business ought to do for customer chance. The media is asking questions. nesses will make some money someday was passed off as the competence of
had also placed “#dontgrudgeit” pop-ups on satisfaction, however, differs from what a state There are a few lessons we can learn. has been passed off as a business model entrepreneurs is now over. And two, a
tables from the National Restaurant Associa- agency should enforce. In general, the CCPA Technology entrepreneurs drew on the and rarely been questioned. One analyst big valuation doesn’t mean that the
marketing lesson offered by the success even went to the extent of projecting business will be profitable one day.
tion of India (NRAI) which claimed it was nei- should not meddle with private pricing struc-
ther a voluntary “tip” nor levied on takeaway tures. Several other fields—think of aviation—
orders, but a must-pay “fee” for dine-in services have a panoply of add-on charges justified one
that was both fair and protected by contract way or another. Unless rivalry fails to fulfil its
law. Since private parties are free to strike regulatory role, prices should not be policed; it
mutual deals and no law exists against this levy, could lead us down the path of price controls,
a few players have even hinted that the CCPA which distort markets and leave everybody www.livemint.com New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh*, Pune* Monday, July 9, 2012 Vol.6 No.163 `3.00 24 PAGES
ban could be put to a legal challenge. This may worse off. Businesses should be denied liberty POLITICS: Jagadish Shettar to
be new Karnataka CM >4
CAPITAL CALCULUS: UPA is ignoring
a good narrative >4
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Leave aside our lack of tipping generosity in safety rules are clearly valid, a dining market
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ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS/AP
BANK CREDIT
Holding firm QUICK EDIT
Core sector model for FDI in a
a labour abundant country, and focus on why that throbs with competition can’t really be loan growth
PSBs may
not take off
B Y R EMYA N AIR
·························
& A NUP R OY
tailwind
I f there is a moment for
initiating long-pending
reform, surely it is now.
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader Yashwant
The other night
at 4year low
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI
anyone would grudge a service charge over accused of fleecing us. It just so happens that
Sinha in an interview has
T he financial holding com-

pany model for public sec-
said his party could
support the government’s
I ate at a real nice family

tor banks proposed in this move in raising foreign
year’s budget could be a non- direct investment (FDI)
starter due to the lack of a fi- in the insurance sector if
Fall in loan growth nancially viable model as well it was reached out to.
sharpest in past year; Lazy banking as the possibility of increased
concentration risk as public
For a government
under siege, there could
consumptionoriented
or easy
and above the prices of items ordered. For a dine-in services have shown poor sensitivity to
sector banks account for near- not be an opportunity
segments see rise ly 75% of the market. better than this to
between 2009 and 2012 banking? An official familiar with the
developments said the model
is not financially viable as the
discard the tag of a
paralysed entity.
At the moment, the
BANKER’S TRUST
restaurant. Every table had

B Y D INESH U NNIKRISHNAN & holding company will have to political constellation for
A SHWIN R AMARATHINAM TAMAL BANDYOPADHYAY borrow from the market to such a task is most
························· meet the capital requirements propitious: Coalition
MUMBAI
I n the first quarter of fis- of these banks as the dividend partners opposed to FDI
G
start, it obscures what the bill-payer’s final price-sensitive diners who’d like to assess at a
rowth in bank lending to cal 2013 (till 15 June), received will not be sufficient. in retail are on a weak
power, telecom, agricul- banks in India invested a The company, however, will wicket. Other supporting
ture and textile sectors little more than `30 in gov- not be able to repay these bor- parties—such as the
has dropped to its lowest in four ernment bonds out of eve- rowings due to the lack of an- Samajwadi Party—can be
years, indicating a lower pace of ry `100 they had in depos- other income streams, the offi- won over with some
investments and an overall eco- its. Under the central cial said. persuasion. And now the
nomic slowdown. bank’s norms, banks are The setting up of a single leading opposition party,
Bank credit growth to these required to invest `24 for holding company for all 24 too, is making the right
an argument going.
critical segments in the 12 every `100 deposits they public sector banks was an- noises.
damages might be. As an ad valorem GST must glance what they’ll be asked to pay. In some
months ended 18 May 2012 has raise, but they are invest- nounced in this year’s budget If the government still
been the slowest since May 2009, ing much more. It is not King of grass: Roger Federer of Switzerland on Sunday became only the by then finance minister does not take decisive
when the world was in the midst because they love to invest third man ever to win seven Wimbledon singles titles when he overcame Pranab Mukherjee, but the fi- action, the blame for
of a severe financial crisis, ac- in government bonds that local hope Andy Murray 46 75 63 64. Federer and Pete Sampras of nance ministry is still to final- failures that will emerge
cording to data compiled from are being sold in the mar- the US are the only two men in the Open Era of tennis to win seven ize the structure of such a later will lie at its
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ket to bridge the deficit, singles titles at the All England Club. Britisher William Renshaw company. doorstep alone. It should
and economic think tank Centre but the investment in sov- captured seven in the 1880s. Federer will also regain the top ranking in get its act together, fast.
for Monitoring Indian Economy. ereign bonds is risk-free tennis, equalling Sampras’s 286 weeks as world No. 1. TURN TO PAGE 4®
The sharp decline in loan and they prefer this when
also be loaded onto a value already inflated by social settings, lack of price clarity could prove
growth is accompanied by the bad loans for most banks
fastest rise in bad loans of Indian
banks and incremental growth in
have been rising.
An increase in bad loans Children’s Film
their restructured loans, at least
in the past four years.
Loan growth to consumption-
hurts banks. They do not
earn any interest on such
loans. And, on top of that,
Society faces
oriented segments such as credit
card spending, gems and jewel-
they need to set aside
money for bad loans. A
a test at the
lery, and vehicle loans, however, good part of those loans
multiplex
the eatery’s fee, one must do the double-deck awkward. Even ‘tips’ for individual servers are
has shown a significant rise be- which were restructured in
tween 2009 and 2012, the data the wake of the fall of US
G EORG E CA R L I N
showed. investment bank Lehman B Y N ANDINI R AMNATH
To be sure, the fall in loan Brothers Holdings Inc. and nandini.r@livemint.com
growth has been sharpest in the the unprecedented global ·························
past one year, strengthening the
trend that many say is the fallout
of a significant drop in economic
credit crunch is turning
bad, and this is making
banks reluctant to give
I t started on a flight, as things
in the movie business often
do. Nandita Das, actor, film-
activity. fresh loans. maker and chairperson of the
math of one rate upon another to arrive at a often driven by context, especially if the motive
“The demand for credit has Children’s Film Society India
slowed down in line with the TURN TO PAGE 3® (CFSI), ran into Rajat Barjatya,
slowing economy. Rising bad a member of the clan that runs
loans and instances of more re- Rajshri Films, a few months
structuring are linked to that. ing director of Punjab National ago.
The demand for credit will revive Bank. Barjatya wanted titles from
when the investment environ- The Indian economy grew at CFSI’s catalogue for Rajshri’s
ment turns conducive,” said K.R. 5.6% in 2011-12, lower than the YouTube channel, and he ex-
Kamath, chairman and manag- 5.8% growth in 2008-09. In the changed pleasantries and visit-
mental estimate. While this may be easy for is to incentivize prompt service, secure privacy,
March quarter, growth slowed to ing cards with Das. While CFSI
a nine-year low of 5.3%. gave Rajshri 50 films, Das had
Overall credit growth in the her own request to make: she
banking sector, on a year-on- wanted the production house
year basis, stood at 17.1% as on to distribute Gattu, directed by
18 May, sharply down from 22% Rajan Khosa.
a year ago. In absolute terms, the Das had been knocking on
total outstanding credit of Indian the doors of several distribu-
banks as on 18 May stood at tors in Mumbai, but nobody
some folks, it is very customer unfriendly. And urge discretion, and so on. It’s always a good
`43.9 trillion, against `37.5 tril- was interested in picking up
Gattu, which uses the sport of
TURN TO PAGE 3® kite-flying to champion the
cause of children’s education.
NOTE TO READERS “I got replies on the lines of
‘We loved the film, but we’re
The Media Marketing Initiative on looking at more commercial
Page 11 is the equivalent of a projects’,” said Das.
if bill shocks tend to generate dissonance, the idea for restaurants to stay attuned to all kinds
paidfor advertisement, and no However, Rajshri Films
Mint journalists were involved in thought differently, and will
creating it. Readers would do well release Gattu on 20 July. It’s
Mint is also available for R6.50 with to treat it as an advertisement.
Hindustan Times in Delhi-NCR only TURN TO PAGE 2®
terminology in play could worsen it. As we had of needs, bill guesstimates included.
MY VIEW | EX MACHINA
A disruption that India’s legal profession sorely needs

True disruption will force such a fundamental of ODR at scale. leverage ODR to its full potential. hearing being pushed forth by months. A
RAHUL MATTHAN re-imagining of the way things have always An opportunity has presented itself in the What will this look like? For one, an process that involves written submissions
been, that it will render the profession all but context of the goods and services tax (GST). online-only process could entirely eschew would avoid this, as parties could independ-
unrecognizable. Which is why I am con- At last week’s GST Council meeting, a group oratory. Our mental image of a dispute is of ently make their written submissions with-
vinced that, when it happens, the transfor- of ministers was constituted to evaluate the a lawyer on his feet arguing his case before a out heed to anyone else’s convenience.
mation is more likely to take place in the establishment of a GST Appellate Tribunal. judge, so much so that we can hardly even A number of other constraints could be
I
have often used this column to argue for court room than the law office. This has been a long-standing demand of imagine a process that does not involve oral imposed in the interest of improving effi-
using technology to make the legal pro- In previous articles, I have attempted to practitioners in the field, as arguments. But simply ciency. For instance, written submissions
fession more accessible and less mysteri- describe what this might look like. One litigants have had no because this is the way could be subject to strict word limits on the
ous. I have been so ardent about the need for approach could be to build a ‘judicial stack’, option but to flood high Online dispute things have always been, it ground that if an argument cannot be made
reform, that some of my brethren have taken along the lines of the many other platforms courts with writ petitions does not mean that nothing succinctly, it’s not worth making at all. In
me aside and asked me what the heck I’m that India has deployed with considerable in the absence of a judicial resolution by else is possible. addition, the entire process could be time
thinking. After all, legal complexity is the success in other sectors. This would make all authority to appeal to. An ODR-enabled GST bound, forcing parties to concentrate on
friction that we lawyers thrive on. If technol- legal services accessible through a modular, Things reached such a
using written Appellate Tribunal could their strongest arguments, rather than
is a partner at Trilegal and also

ogy makes the law easier to understand and
more accessible, what use will anyone have
interoperable platform that anyone could
access using a mobile device. Not only would
head that in a public inter-
est litigation last year, the
arguments insist that parties should
only make their arguments
throw everything at the judge in the hope
that one of them sticks.
has a podcast by the name Ex
Machina. His Twitter handle is
for lawyers? I try and explain to them that,
like it or not, things are about to change. Dis-
this improve efficiency, it could potentially
make the legal system interoperable with
Supreme Court directed
the government to consti-
could speed up in writing. The tribunal will
review these written briefs
Implementing this radical approach
would call for legislative flexibility. Thank-
@matthan ruption always comes from the direction we other adjacent digital public infrastructure. tute this tribunal, pointing and reform the and, where required, fully, section 111 of the Central Goods and
least expect and no one benefits from bury- But what would truly revolutionize the out that it was a statutory request additional submis- Service Tax Act, 2017, not only states that the
ing one’s head in the sand. Our only chance practice of law in India is the mainstreaming requirement and litigants current system sions to clarify any ques- GST tribunal is not bound by procedures
of surviving this change is to be the disrup- of online dispute resolution (ODR). Even can’t go remediless. tions it may have. It could laid down in the Code of Civil Procedure,
tion that is about to come. though more than 12 million ODR cases have Now it seems it’s just a then issue its final ruling, 1908, it clarifies that it will have the power to
To be fair, the legal profession has tried its been filed to date, that is but a small fraction matter of time before the GST Appellate Tri- relying solely on written submissions. regulate its own procedure.
best to innovate. All law firms today use of what will be possible once our approach to bunal is constituted. When this happens, a This will not only reduce the time taken Establishing a truly online dispute resolu-
sophisticated information technology sys- online dispute resolution becomes more brand new dispute resolution landscape will for resolution, it will allow us to take a more tion process at the GST Appellate Tribunal
tems—to address issues ranging from matter imaginative than simply replacing the physi- emerge—one that, thanks to the GST net- asynchronous approach. Much of the delay will provide us a glimpse of what the future
management to price forecasting. And we cal courtroom with virtual alternatives. But work on which this tax system is based, will in the traditional system has to do with find- of dispute resolution could look like. And it
are all the more efficient for it. in order to deliver on that promise, we need be both data-intensive and digitally native. ing dates suitable to all parties (including may become the disruption that the legal
But these are incremental changes at best. an opportunity to demonstrate the potential This would give us a unique opportunity to judges). This often results in the next date of profession sorely needs.
LIVEMINT.COM VIEWS Wednesday, 6 July 2022
Bengaluru 13
guEst VIEW M I N T C U R AT O R
Let’s reimagine globalization for It takes project management

skills to get Wimbledon tickets
India to play the Asian champion Its complex allotments could deter the most diehard of tennis fans
A confluence of factors has made space for us to help reshape global trade and supply-chain arrangements to our advantage
BLOOMBERG
THERESE RAPHAEL
is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion
covering health care and British politics.
ARJUN GOSWAMI &

AVAANTIKA KAKKAR
are, respectively, director of public policy
and partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
T
ickets for marquee sports events don’t
come cheap. A top Premier League
match, where a stadium can pack
A
s countries chalk out paths of post- 40,000 to 60,000 football fans, easily runs Even Rafael Nadal matches had empty
pandemic recovery, the complex £100 for club members, with higher prices spectator seats spotted on TV PTI
task of opening up cross-border in the secondary market. A weekend at the
markets for the movement of just completed Silverstone Grand Prix starts debentures are the only tickets that can be
people, goods, services and capital at just £155, but prices go into the thousands legally transferred or sold. Last I checked,
flows, and getting back to pre-pan- for a full hospitality experience. Only at debenture tickets for this week were selling
demic levels of international trade, will play an Wimbledon, though, is a readiness to at around £2,700 or more. Getting hold of
important role in a broad economic revival to com- spend on tickets nowhere near enough to a debenture, however, even if you have the
plement and reinforce domestic recoveries. But is get you in. You must also be lucky, tena- dosh to splurge, is not easy. It can take years.
this vital aspect of globalization still feasible, or is cious or both. And yet, tennis fans noted The final option is to queue. A 2017 queue
the whole phenomenon at an end? Are we seeing a empty seats as major stars such as Rafael was reportedly 7,000 people long. The
return to ‘country first’ policies reminiscent of the Nadal and Andy Murray took to the court. queue this year began on the Friday before
1920s? Just as Francis Fukuyama’s triumphalist For die-hard tennis fans, the hassle, Monday’s start. Ground passes gained this
pronouncement of “the end of history” in the early uncertainty and queuing are all part of the way cost only £27 and the Championship
1990s after the collapse of Soviet Communism was Wimbledon experience. But does it have to releases 500 tickets for each of the three
in hindsight completely misplaced, prospects of be? There are several ways to get tickets— main show courts each day along with an
the death of globalization may also be greatly where total capacity is around 42,000—but unspecified number of ground passes. But
exaggerated, to borrow Mark Twain’s language. none is straightforward. Pre-pandemic, fans success can be elusive. Each year, there are
However, its survival may require a new kind of from around the world could apply for a stories of jolly campers, but I know many
globalization for a new era. public lottery which closed the previous more people who are daunted by the pros-
In looking at the reinvention of globalization, December. This year, those who had won pect or don’t have time for it.
India can potentially play a critical role as a new the right to buy tickets in the cancelled The other three Grand Slam events in the
champion of globalization for three reasons: 2020 tournament had them carried over, so tennis calendar operate ticketing systems
First, given the increased weight of Asia in global there was no new ballot. Attendance is that don’t require advanced knowledge of
economic growth, globalization needs a new Asian down 7% this year compared with 2019. game theory or saintly levels of patience.
champion. China, which positioned itself as a Members of the Lawn Tennis Association The US Open is the easiest, though the
major pivot of global trade supply chains over the (LTA), which governs British tennis, could French and Australian tournaments also
past 30 years, may find it difficult to sustain that opt in for a ballot to buy two Wimbledon offer easy options. All have systems that
role. Worldwide, concerns over China’s supply tickets. For those who were lucky enough to help fans access tickets, provide some flexi-
chain dominance in the context of territorial con- get an allocation, it was then a six-step pro- bility but restrict the ability of profiteers and
flict risks in Asia, as well as growing worries of debt cess to respond to a series of emails telling touts to corner resales.
sustainability in some countries on account of you how to buy tickets, then how to access Why not Wimbledon? One difference is
Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, may push other them in the Wimbledon app. At each stage that it is the only of the four grand slams run
Asian economies to decouple their economic which may result in India’s moment in the global Why should India take up this role as a cham- there was a time limitation (10 days for this by a private club. The All England Lawn
interests from China’s. As a large and fast-growing arena. The US decision to withdraw from the pion of globalization? The answer lies in the logic or that). I had to set phone reminders. Tennis & Croquet Club is one of the most
Asian economy with a vast domestic market, India Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for with which the Indian economy was liberalized. Ballot-winners can’t be choosers and you exclusive in the world, with only 500 mem-
may be well placed to play a pivotal role by offering Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU call This involved an increasing orientation towards take the date, court and seats you are offered bers. The profits from the Championships
itself as a supply chain alternative for the region. against ratifying its negotiated investment agree- private sector competitiveness, away from a state- or nothing. Returned tickets can be bought are transferred to the LTA to fund grass-
Second, faced with global protectionist pres- ment with China, which it increasingly considers a run and heavily-controlled economic system. The by others online, but these go fast, and roots tennis; it amounted to £52.1 million in
sures worsened by covid, inflation, supply chain “systemic rival”, and India’s decision to stay out of benefits of increased domestic competitiveness, there’s no guarantee. It would be nice to gift 2019. While more British players have bro-
disruptions and changing geo-political equations, the China-dominated Regional Comprehensive higher value addition, supply chain efficiencies a pair of tickets to your significant other and ken into the top, tennis is still an expensive
India has sought to navigate these shoals by Economic Partnership (RCEP) have had a signifi- and innovation across sectors can be strengthened tennis-crazy child, but if you are the lucky and exclusive sport in the UK, though.
striking bilateral trade agreements with developed cant impact on global trading equations. For dec- through trade agreements that would help Indian ballot winner, you have to be at the tourna- For all the brilliance of the tournament,
countries and blocs without preferences. India ades, India had been knocking at the door of the industry find new export markets. ment in person with your ID. And don’t just there’s more to be done. The Ralph Lauren
recently signed pacts with Australia and the UAE, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping, with At the dawn of Indian independence in the click on the Terms & Conditions without uniforms, green-and-purple flower boxes,
and remains in pursuit of such deals with the UK, little headway, but this group has suffered a serious 1940s and 1950s, romantic idealism in the form of reading. Last year, fans took to Twitter to recycling bins and net-zero pledges project
EU, Canada and other trading blocs, such as the decline over the Ukraine conflict, as seen in the Asian non-alignment at Bandung and domestic express frustration when ticket purchases an image of both timeless tradition and hip
Gulf Cooperation Council. The recent courting recent US walkout. On the other hand, a transfor- Fabian socialism at home were the drivers of were cancelled because they had used the modernity. But those rows of empty seats
of India by the US, UK and EU countries in the mation of the four-nation Quad partnership, which India’s global ambitions. As the record has shown, same credit card for more than one pur- and the sight of long queues of punters rein-
shadow of the Ukrainian conflict and India’s was originally conceptualized as security group, these ultimately collapsed. A more clear-headed chase, which was apparently verboten. force a narrative that there is something
neutral stance makes these hitherto distant trade into a wider Indo-Pacific Economic Agreement and pragmatic role for India that relies upon equal, There are other ways to get to Wimble- both elitist and a bit backward about it all.
prospects seem more tangible. Prospective trade- (IPEA) may provide another alternative to China- fair and reciprocal trading relationships with mul- don if money or time are no object. You can Wimbledon this year is as exciting as ever
deal partners could view India as a neutral trading centric supply chain arrangements for economies tiple countries and regions, backed by a liberalized apply for a debenture, which gives the to watch, but also at odds with the sport’s
partner (for both imports and exports), with such looking for clean and resilient linkages. While the economic regime and other assurers of a globally holder the right to a premium seat each day attempts to be more inclusive. The overly
ties with New Delhi considered in some cases to be IPEA appears to be a scaled-down version of the competitive ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, may allow us to for five straight tournament years. The price complicated ticketing system recalls Mark
a part of their broader agenda to play a bigger role CPTPP and RCEP, with no reference to market more sustainably and realistically fulfil our dream of a Centre Court debenture in the 2020-25 Twain’s observation: The less there is to jus-
in the Indo-Pacific region. access and tariff commitments, it could speak to of global championship in the 21st century. series was £80,000, which rose to tify a traditional custom, the harder it is to
Third, and perhaps most significantly, there is a India’s own interests and bolster our negotiating Vijay Pratap Singh Chauhan, partner, Cyril £120,000 in the month before the tourna- get rid of. Hopefully, Wimbledon will prove
churn underway in global trade agreements, strength in striking bilateral trade deals. Amarchand Mangaldas, contributed to this article. ment. It could be a decent investment: him wrong. ©BLOOMBERG
guEst VIEW
No country can ignore parts of the internet going dark

Most online communication services now case of ciphers, individual letters can be In today’s tech-driven age, encryption Hence, what could work are solutions for
NIKHIL NAREN are either end-to-end encrypted or follow changed to a different group of letters. ‘I love technologies are robust and even used by lawful access included in the very design and
some level of encryption by default. These India’ can be made ‘Bcxfg ogypt fbnnop’. To administrations to safeguard critical infra- development of encryption mechanisms.
privacy measures renewed government fears decipher this, one needs to know how each structure and their classified communica- This would be more secure than any attempt
that technology will thwart the access of law letter has been transformed. This poses a tion. If private platforms that use encryption to exploit vulnerabilities after the fact. This
enforcement to vital data, a phenomenon challenge to enforcement agencies today. figure out a way to grant ‘backdoor access’ to calls for cooperation between the govern-
S
imon Singh in The Code Book: The Secret officials refer to as “going dark”. The chats we have with our friends have a law enforcement agencies or government ment and private platforms, which could
History of Codes and Code-Breaking The science of encrypting and decrypting unique security code that officials, chances are that it increase overall security while reducing the
writes, “If necessity is the mother of information is called cryptography. The pro- verifies and ensures that could be exploited by ill- risk of back door breaches by malefactors.
invention, then perhaps, adversity is the cess uses a cryptographic algorithm known as our chats are end-to-end Technology can motivated hackers. There- Better encryption standards are bound to
mother of cryptanalysis.” The extent of digi- a ‘cipher’, a mathematical function that works encrypted. The entire pro- fore, as critics have argued, complicate things further, which may force
tization in our lives today is immense. While by means of ‘keys’ which encrypt a sender’s cess of encryption and help cast light message tracing would law enforcers to fight encryption with
we applaud the easing of day-to-day tasks, message and are then used to decrypt it at the decryption of messages involve either loosening or encryption. A key development in this space
the use of internet platforms poses security receiver’s end. Data that can plainly be read takes place on our devices.
on darkened breaking encryption. was Operation Trojan Shield, under which
is a Chevening scholar pursuing

challenges too. This has led to a debate over
the Information Technology (Intermediary
is known as ‘plaintext’, while data that needs
to be acted upon for comprehension is called
When we send a message, it
automatically gets secured
spaces without The idea of backdoor
access was put forth by
enforcement agencies from several countries
developed and operated an encrypted device
an LL.M. from Queen Mary,
University of London
Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021. One of its key aspects was the
‘cipher text’. The same type of plaintext that
is encrypted with the help of different keys
by a cryptographic lock, the
key to which only rests with
necessarily security analyst Geoffrey
Corn, who pointed out that
to spot drug traffickers, money launderers,
illegal firearm hawkers, etc.
government’s requirement of chat apps like will result in different cipher texts. Hence, the the recipient’s device. So compromising law enforcers do not want Therefore, the way forward may not be in
WhatsApp and Signal to “trace the first origi- security of one’s encrypted data depends on without physical posses- access through an unse- deciding between what is more important,
nator” of information on demand. Some the strength of the cryptographic algorithm. sion of either device, law our privacy cured backdoor, but instead privacy or public safety, but rather through
activists called it “social media policing”, Note that ‘ciphers’ are very different from enforcers cannot intercept need the digital equivalent regulation that delicately balances the two.
though the Centre said that message-origin ‘codes’, even if they are used synonymously the communication, irre- of a secured fortified ‘front Technology can be an ally. Building a secured
tracing would be needed if so directed by a by laypersons. The problem of ‘going dark’ spective of whether it comprises benign talk door’ with appropriate locks and bars. ‘front door’ should be our aim. It may help in
court or designated competent authority can be attributed to the use of ‘ciphers’ for or constitutes a public security risk. The most It was also found that to aim advertise- solving cases or disrupting criminal activity.
under India’s Information Technology Act. encryption. In the context of ‘codes’, a set of popular chat platform WhatsApp has clearly ments at its users, Google had the capacity to The ‘going dark’ problem should not be
Prima facie, we may worry this rule will words can be converted into another set of stated that its encryption has “no off switch”. decrypt Gmail and G-chat communications, ignored. Along with preserving the privacy of
breach our privacy and violate our funda- words. For example, ‘I love India’ can be code And evidence suggests that the so-called and Apple employs software that allows their people, countries should also enable
mental rights as users of these platforms, but for ‘I stay in Patna’; the recipient only needs darknet and end-to-end encrypted messages iCloud backups to occur in a way that they authorised agencies to safeguard citizens
there is another aspect to it. a codebook to decode it as such. But in the have been a haven for terrorists. can be decrypted. from threats by would-be law-breakers.
>
OPINION 9
STAY INFORMED THROUGH THE DAY @ WWW.BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM
Volume XXVI Number 227 Illustration: BINAY SINHA
MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY 2022
Inflation targeting phies. This implies that in order to be effective

laws must also take into account what specific
groups are willing to agree on between themselves
It should be followed and communicated properly before legislating them into reality.
For example, if Hindus and Muslims do not
C
ontaining inflation and managing inflation expectations have per-
agree on the cow slaughter ban, or namaz in public
haps become the biggest challenge for policymakers across the spaces, or the playing of loud music near mosques,
world. The inflation rate in the US, for instance, climbed to a four- no neutral law can indeed work — as we have
decade high in May. The Federal Reserve is tightening monetary repeatedly seen in India.
and financial conditions to contain inflation and its potential action is now This leads me to a related point: Laws hard-
widely expected to push the US economy into recession. In the given eco- coded into the Constitution or the Indian Penal
nomic backdrop, despite risks to output, containing inflation is the Fed’s Code are dead letters because the underlying com-
top priority. The Indian policy establishment is also grappling with higher munities which are supposed to comply with them
do not agree, or will not cooperate in their imple-
inflation. While the government has imposed various export restrictions,
mentation. There can be no rule of law as separate
the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is
from what the people, or a large section of the
raising interest rates. The inflation rate, nonetheless, is expected to remain people, want from it.
above the tolerance band in the current fiscal year. This means the rate will The short point is that, for laws to work, there
remain above the tolerance band for three consecutive quarters and be has to be community-level negotiation based on
treated as a failure to attain the target. give and take. You cannot legislate rights that are
Although the recent surge in inflation is because of the Ukraine war, it universal, and then expect communities that don’t
has been argued, including by this newspaper, that the RBI waited for far want these laws to apply to them to comply. In
too long to start unwinding excessive monetary accommodation. One of the
critical points in this context is that communication from the central bank
suggested it was comfortable till the rate was below 6 per cent — the upper
end of the tolerance band — which affected expectations. It appears that’s
Rule of law, anyone? Sweden, free speech laws allow politicians to blas-
pheme, but its immigrant societies do not agree.
The only way to have an enforceable law is for both
the immigrants and Sweden’s mainstream politi-
cians to agree on what both will do if blasphemy
been the thinking in the broader policy establishment. In an interview to Negotiated and reciprocal agreements between communities happens, and immigrants agree on which line they
this newspaper, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, for instance, will not cross. Right now, there is a presumption
noted: “Even if it [inflation] is well within 7-7.9 per cent or well within 8 per are vital to underpin any law that the rule of law, as defined by mainstream
cent or 9 per cent, it is not any sacred number, whereas 6 per cent is a sacred Swedes, will apply, but it does not quite do so.
F
number for me. We still want to bring it down to somewhere close to 6 or rom Left to Right, from Liberal to cow slaughter or the transportation of bovine ani- Forget immigrants, in the US even members of the
below 6 per cent.” Conservative, there is a touching faith in the mals without permits; but the police do not, for same racial group — Whites — indulge in cancel
rule of law as the answer to all of society’s the most part, act, leaving it to vigilante groups to culture based on whether you are liberal or con-
It’s worth noting here that the target given by the government to the
problems. They may differ on what these rules undermine the law or its implementation. Laws servative. If liberals do not want to break bread
RBI is 4 per cent, with a tolerance level of two percentage points on both ought to be, but they agree that the rule of law banning religious conversion exist in some states, with conservatives, they are undermining the basic
sides. The basic problem with deriving comfort from the rate being around must prevail. but conversions have not stopped. A law exists to consensus needed to make any democracy work:
6 per cent is that it leaves absolutely no margin for error, and this is exactly They are confusing something that is nice to prevent wholesale defections without resigning Respect for disagreement and diversity.
what seems to have happened over the past few quarters. One of the biggest have with something that is assumed to always from the political party you currently belong to, Contentious laws work best when they are
downsides of such an approach is it damages the credibility of the central work. The truth is that the rule of law cannot work but defections happen anyway. We saw that in negotiated and reciprocal in nature. If Hindus and
bank, and this can push up the term premium in the bond market, directly in all circumstances, and there is no actual proof Maharashtra recently. Muslims agree that there will be no ban on cow
affecting the government because it is the biggest borrower. Therefore, it is that it does so in reality. A few examples will prove The point of beginning this article with refer- slaughter (a concession by Hindus, that is) there
that point. ences to foreign examples is simple: We know that has to be an equivalent or significant concession
important for policymakers to work towards bringing the inflation rate closer
Just last month, the US Supreme Court over- the Indian state is often unwilling to implement made by Muslims for any agreement to be hon-
to the target. However, if there is evidence to suggest that adjusting the infla- ruled a half-century-old law that made abortion a the law fairly or effectively, but we also assumed oured. And vice-versa. If Muslims agree to respect
tion target will help attain higher sustainable growth in the long run, it part of women’s rights. Now states will determine that rich countries, especially those exemplars of a ban, Hindus need to make it worth their while to
should be done through due process. what these rights are on their own. democracy, the Nordics, were comply. If we need castes to work together, the for-
Another criticism in this context is that the RBI made the MPC practically In the same country, there will be much better at it. Not quite. For, ward and backward castes must negotiate a two-
irrelevant by disproportionately reducing the reverse repo rate and flooding multiple rules of law. In April, after as the Swedish PM said last April way deal that both sides believe is fair to both. Or
the system with liquidity, which contributed to higher inflation. The reverse Muslim groups in Sweden rioted after mobs attacked Swedish we are asking for more caste-based discrimination
repo, which has now been replaced by the standing deposit facility as the over alleged blasphemy by one pol- policemen, wounding scores of and violence.
floor of the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) corridor, is not within the itician, Prime Minister Magdalena them, we live in “parallel Making concessions non-reciprocal was the
Andersson said that integration societies”. When you live in alter- mistake made by the founding fathers of the
purview of the MPC. Thus, in order to enhance confidence in the MPC and
had failed; mainstream Swedish nate social realities, you also Indian Republic, and one-sided concessions result-
reiterate its commitment to price stability, the government should consider society and its immigrant citizens expect differentiated laws. The ed in more bad blood between communities rather
bringing the entire LAF corridor within the purview of the rate-setting com- lived in “parallel societies”. In 2018, rule of law fails. than peace and amity.
mittee. However, this would work only if the inflation target is followed and former German chancellor Angela The rule of law works under two At the global level, nuclear peace held during
communicated properly. Merkel acknowledged that there or three important conditions that the Cold War because both the US and the Soviet
were no-go zones for the law BEYOND IDEOLOGY don’t last very long in modern Union stuck to their part of the deal based on rec-
enforcement agencies — a refer- R JAGANNATHAN societies, where change is rapid. iprocity and a balance of power. But other coun-
Rules for no-fly lists ence to Muslim ghettos in some
cities. Between the late 1990s and
First, there must be a very strong
group of interests that must want
tries that were given a bad deal decided that they
would not respect the one-sided non-proliferation
2013, hundreds of British teenage girls were the law legislated and enforced. Second, the state treaty, given their own security concerns.
Citizens should be informed “groomed” by largely Pakistani gangs, and the itself must be powerful enough to be able to do so. Globalisation is unravelling because it has resulted
T
wo months after Amnesty International India Chairman Aakar Patel police, despite knowing about it, did not act for And third, when societies change, the law must be in unfairness to some. Ultimately, the rule of law
arrived at the airport to discover he was barred from leaving the fear that they would be judged racist or flexible enough to quickly change too. But when fails when outcomes are iniquitous.
country, Kashmiri freelance photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize Islamophobic. large communities live in “parallel” universes, this The conclusion: The rule of law is a good thing
winner Sanna Irshad Mattoo made a similar discovery while board- In India, we know that the rule of law does not change will not happen fast enough. to have, but it must ultimately be backed by groups
ing a flight to Paris despite holding a valid visa. Mr Patel, who also writes for work when a Supreme Court Bench — no less — A fourth point is the one this writer would wish and communities working out their own arrange-
can tell us without batting an eyelid that one pro- to emphasise. When different social groups exist ments for peace and respect for the law based on
this newspaper, was fortunate to be informed why he was offloaded — a
vocative statement by a former Bharatiya Janata and cannot agree on what the law should be, the reciprocity and give and take.
misinterpreted lookout notice for alleged Foreign Contribution Regulation Party spokesperson was responsible for the murder rule of law cannot work except on the basis of
Act violations by the Central Bureau of Investigation — something that was of another in Udaipur. Some 20 states do not allow agreements between groups in specific geogra- The writer is Editorial Director, Swarajya magazine
overturned by a Delhi court. Ms Mattoo did not enjoy this privilege, but
deduced from questions by immigration officials that she was offloaded
because she came from Kashmir. Her Pulitzer Prize (she shared the prize
with a team from Reuters) was for covering the Covid-19 crisis in India.
These are not isolated incidents. In September 2019, a Kashmiri journalist
with a German news agency, Gowhar Geelani, was barred from leaving a
Flipkart and the startup longevity challenge
month after Article 370 was read down. He had published a book titled
F
ifteen years is a long time in the life of a star- made this south-eastern neighbourhood in time, the Flipkart versus Amazon battle turned
Kashmir: Rage and Reason in August. He too held a valid visa and was off- tup. According to US-based market intelli- Bengaluru—known for tree-lined avenues, rooftop into a continuation of the American retail war
loaded after checking in. Though no official reason was given, immigration gence company CB Insights, the longevity of cafes and upscale apartments —a startup destina- between Amazon and Walmart, as it acquired the
officials indicated that the J&K government (then under central rule) had 70 per cent of tech startups is estimated at 20 tion, a lot has changed in recent years. High real Bengaluru firm.
flagged the issue. In 2015, a year before Vijay Mallya managed to leave India months after the first round of funding for a com- estate cost and deteriorating infrastructure have Perhaps the only constant in the online com-
despite owing state-owned banks crores of rupees, Greenpeace activist Priya bination of reasons. Slicing and dicing information sent startups packing to yet another locality, HSR merce space during these 15 years was the lack of
Pillai was offloaded from a Delhi-London flight and was merely told that from more than 100 “post-mortems’’ based on Layout in the suburbs of Bengaluru, which has clarity in policy and regulation. The e-commerce
she was on a government database of citizens who were not allowed to fly startups that failed in the US since 2018, CB turned out to be a cheaper option. Flipkart too got policy is still in the making and many drafts have
Insights narrowed down on several reasons as to a new address a few years ago at Embassy Tech gone into the bin. There have been guideline
out of the country.
why a startup is not able to survive. From lack of Village, an IT park on the outskirts of the city. Quite changes for foreign e-commerce players from time
Singling out for no-fly lists civil society representatives who speak truth cash to flawed business models and regulatory a shift from the two-bedroom apartment, where it to time in the form of Press Note tweaks to keep
to power points to a certain transparency in the government’s motives. But challenges to disharmony among had all started, to a complex that the landscape safe for domestic players. There’s
such a policy is distinctly opaque for citizens who face such harassment, the team, a large number of start- has often been equated with 12 time still before a comprehensive policy can
not to speak of public embarrassment, at the hands of immigration officials. ups typically cite these reasons football fields. be introduced.
Though the issue is a controversial one in a democracy that constitutionally while folding up. The nature and scale of compe- While the government is yet to get its act
protects the right to free speech and movement, the government could con- In that background, Flipkart, tition that Flipkart has faced over together on the policy front, the industry has made
sider it within its powers, as do all jurisdictions, to determine which of its which would have faced at least the last 15 years have been quite significant strides during the Flipkart years.
some of those roadblocks, can be a dramatic. In the early days, Fintech has gained currency and being a unicorn
citizens can leave the country. India’s no-fly list concerns passengers on
good case study. The original poster the Bansals-led company hardly is like a movement. India has crossed the 100-mark
domestic flights with a history of unruly behaviour. That said, it would serve boy of Indian e-commerce will turn had any competition. Then there in unicorns—startups valued at $1 billion or
some purpose if the government were to be upfront and informed citizens 15 soon. When Sachin Bansal and were players such as Snapdeal, more—and is on its way to the next 100.
listed on an international no-fly list and gave them a chance to appeal. Binny Bansal (not related to each Myntra (subsequently merged with But despite the unicorn rush, startups have
To be sure, few countries do this, an issue that has prompted a heated other) launched it in October 2007, Flipkart), Jabong and a few others taken a severe beating as funding has dried up.
public debate in countries like the UK in recent years. But the US offers a they wouldn’t have known the
NOT FOR PROFIT trying to match up. From the heady valuation days of Flipkart, when
“best practice” template of sorts. The modus operandi of the US “no fly” list, course the company would take NIVEDITA MOOKERJI In June 2013, Amazon went live marquee investors were celebrated in the startup
which deals principally with perceived terrorist threats and was initially eventually, and the twists and turns in India, stepping up the level of offices and in public events organised by the gov-
kept secret, was modified after a federal court ruled it unconstitutional. Now, it would witness. competition for Flipkart. The fol- ernment, it’s time for a reality check now. It may
Looking back, almost 15 years later, the road lowing year, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (dressed not be as bad as the dotcom bust at the start of the
the government is required to inform US citizens and permanent residents
from Koramangala in Bengaluru to Bentonville in in a sherwani and holding dollars) made a statement century yet, but pink slips in startups, across cat-
if they are on the no-fly list and why, and it offers an appeal and redress sys- Arkansas (US) has been like none other in the star- of sorts while getting clicked atop a truck during his egories, are a new normal. And so are stuck fund-
tem. Though critics say this system is far from perfect, it provides citizens tup universe. Starting as an online book store from India visit. Amazon billboards on Diwali sale were ing rounds. The startup initial public offerings
some visibility on their status. If introduced in India, it would go some way a two-bedroom apartment, Flipkart is now major- cutting into what had been Flipkart’s domain so far. (IPOs) have also come to a halt.
towards reducing the increasingly adversarial role between the state and ity-owned by Bentonville-headquartered Walmart. While Amazon and Flipkart sales figures are not Flipkart, which is rarely listed as a startup
citizens, which is marring the country’s reputation globally. Here’s a look at what the journey of close to 15,000 given out, the American company seems to have or unicorn now, has also had to delay its IPO. The
km, from Bengaluru to Bentonville, entailed. clicked better with urban buyers, whereas Flipkart Koramangala startup may have outgrown such lists,
First, about Koramangala itself. While Flipkart continues to be a mass online player. In the mean- but in many ways it belongs to that world still.
Lessons from Punjab: The perils of fanaticism Committee (SGPC) chairman had lost
to a different faction. The SGPC
appointed Darshan Singh as Akal
Takht Jathedar. As Punjab chief minis-
tancy ran rife in the state. Terrorists
were eulogised in obit advertisements
with appeals to the public to attend
their last rites. Refusal to publish such
escaped action). Last week, the same clear heroes and plenty of villains in in August 1985 because he had signed ter, Barnala ignored a diktat of the eulogies could also land editors in
SSP, Simranjit Singh Mann, won the this account. The radical, militant the Rajiv-Longowal accord, which Jathedar and was ex-communicated trouble, as the editor-in-chief of The
by-election to the Sangrur Lok Sabha wing of the Sikh clergy is shown for broadly agreed to a raft of demands from the faith in 1987. He appeared Tribune learned when two armed mili-
constituency and later thanked what it is, but the moderates within the from the Akalis, a before the Akal tants walked into his office and threat-
Bhindranwale for his win. community, the national political lead- month before. The Turmoil in Punjab: Takht in December ened him. Their wishes were complied
This is just one anecdote from the ership, bureaucracy, army, and media book does an excel- Before and After 1988. Then in a with. The other side was news
BOOK REVIEW many that Mr Singh has written about do not emerge smelling of roses either. lent job of explaining Blue Star
Author: Ramesh
scene straight out of agencies, as noted by the Press
in his book Turmoil in Punjab: Before While the book does a remarkable the political battle Game of Thrones, Council, that competed to report the
ANKUR BHARDWAJ and After Blue Star. job of giving the reader rich informa- between the various Inder Singh the former chief number of people killed by terrorists to
The writer served Punjab in various tion about the period between the late avatars of Shiromani Publisher:Harper minister was “fas- get space in newspapers.
I
n 1979, IAS officer Ramesh Inder capacities, rising to chief secretary. His 1970s to the end of militancy in Punjab Akali Dal and the Collins tened to a pillar with Besides giving us a detailed account
Singh was posted as additional dis- career as an administrator through the in the mid-90s, its biggest contribution Sikh clergy. Pages: 572 a placard around his of the events in Punjab over a nearly
trict magistrate (ADM) at Faridkot 1970s to the 1990s helps him share a could be to warn the reader about The book would Price: ~799 neck, wherein two-decade period, the writer also tries
in Punjab. One morning, he was well-informed account of the period. the perils of fanaticism taking hold be especially useful Barnala declared to provide a historical background of
invited to the house of the senior He was the district magistrate sent to of a society. for younger readers himself a sinner and the divide in the state and its society.
superintendent of police (SSP) — right Amritsar just two days before the army It tells us about the battle between who haven’t seen Punjab dominating the Akal Takht, the pardoner.” And “to He also shares a glimpse of the interna-
next door — for a casual meeting with launched Operation Blue Star on the leader of the radical wing, daily news like it did in those two dec- teach him humility, he was asked to tional element of the Khalistan issue.
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, where he June 5, 1984. Bhindranwale, and the moderate Akali ades. Some events would shock those scrub langar utensils, clean shoes of The book teaches us how a hege-
urged the ADM to be liberal in granting The book provides a comprehen- Dal leader Harchand Singh Longowal. who haven’t read about them earlier, devotees and mop the gurdwara floor monic state, unchecked religious
arms licences to his men. The SSP who sive account of Punjab’s social, reli- Longowal’s politics had been that of such as what happened with ex-chief for seven days”. fanaticism, political arrogance and
invited the ADM to this meeting later gious and political flux during the civil disobedience, while minister Surjit Singh Barnala in In a chapter titled “The Fourth incompetence, can create a perfect
faced a departmental inquiry for his period, along with the administrative Bhindranwale’s was of the gun. December 1988. Barnala’s candidate Estate”, the writer tells us about the storm. These are lessons all of us
role in granting arms licences (but and political failings. There are no Extremists eventually killed Longowal for Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak pressure the media faced when mili- would do well to remember even today.
t h e da ily gua r dia n r eview
we d n e s day | 0 6 j u ly 2 0 2 2
new de l h i comment & analysis 5
MAN IN A HURRY
Team Modi should involve end

stakeholders to push reforms
If PM Modi’s natural style is ‘just do it, and do it fast’, now the government needs to pay
greater attention to change management to make the reforms more acceptable.
lifelong safe jobs. There are
tactics on effective political
messaging to push through
reforms with relatively lesser
opinion resistance like those used in
1991 liberalization which the
government might want to
ALPESH PATEL deploy.
The third theory is that
the government is trying
to do “too much too soon”.
Team Modi seems to be in
Modi has surely increased a hurry, which could argu-
the level of consultation—at ably be a good thing, but the
least the technical aspects, if changes are probably ap-
not other aspects like change pearing too suddenly and
management required–with happening too fast for the
experts when designing big people to keep pace with. If
reform policies. GST was al- a relatively small reform like
most entirely designed and increasing FDI limit in the
detailed by “experts”. The insurance sector took more
scrapping of Article 370 than a decade, the present
was thought through to the government aspires to push
last level of details, including through big reforms like CAA
the push back and potential and GST (from planning to
I
n response to the Ag- riots. The Agnipath scheme launch to stabilisation) in 4-5
nipath scheme, when was evidently reviewed and years. That also means that
people took to the streets, detailed by the heads of big reforms are not spaced
it seemed like a familiar sight. Armed forces as mentioned out or phased adequately.
One more “good” reform by themselves in various fo- The Agnipath scheme could
scheme of the Narendra rums. have coexisted with regular
Modi government was be- The second theory is that recruitment for a few years
ing opposed vehemently by the government isn’t commu- before it completely replaced
the masses. And this time, nicating enough about their the regular recruitment to re-
many noticed a trend in terms reform policies. This seems duce the pain and fear among
of repeat of protests against to be true to a fair extent. The the young aspirants. Further,
government schemes— de- government does make grand the government could have
monetisation, CAA, farm announcements and circu- avoided launching the Ag-
laws and, now, the Agnipath lates information about the nipath scheme now when
scheme. Even genuine Modi features and (supposed) ben- Army recruitment had been
supporters, in a way, felt the efits of their schemes on tra- on hold for a few years due Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits an exhibition of the ‘Digital India week 2022, in Gandhinagar on 4 July. ANI
fatigue of “defeat” of one more ditional and social media. But to Covid and lakhs of young acceptable. Nothing to take in reforms relating to farmers,
Modi scheme in the durbar of the problem is, people don’t aspirants were eagerly wait- Team Modi seems to be in a hurry, which could arguably be a away the government’s efforts labour laws, land laws, army
the masses. get to hear what they want ing for their dream jobs. in pushing probably the maxi- recruitment and citizenship
Interestingly, team Modi to hear in those communica- Balancing speedy reforms good thing, but the changes are probably appearing too suddenly mum number of reforms and status of people of India. The
itself had not anticipated tions. The communications with minimising pain of the and happening too fast for the people to keep pace with. If a initiatives in India’s history Modi government has eight
the kind of resistance that aren’t convincingly conveying stakeholders involves careful within just eight years even in years to look back at, reflect
we have seen repeatedly. So “what’s-in-it-for-me”, and, on trade-offs which this govern- relatively small reform like increasing FDI limit in the insurance the challenging times of Covid upon, draw lessons from and
why is it that Team Modi that the contrary, are giving rise to ment doesn’t seem to be mak- pandemic and Ukraine con- get better at pushing through
seems to understand the vot- “why-it’s-not-for-me”, which ing effectively.
sector took more than a decade, the present government aspires flict. The Modi government reforms successfully. For this,
ers’ mind fairly well when the government has not been The fourth theory is that to push through big reforms like CAA and GST (from planning has initiated big reforms like Team Modi needs to ensure
seeking votes fails to predict able to address. Generally, this government isn’t seek- Cooperative Banks Regulation greater involvement of end
the pushback to their reforms people of no country like sud- ing feedback from the ben- to launch to stabilisation) in 4-5 years. That also means that big Act, disbanding of Ordinance stakeholders when designing
from the masses? Why has den changes—more so Indian eficiaries. This, too, seems to Board, privatisation of Air reforms, pay greater attention
this government failed in masses, a large section of be often true and probably
reforms are not spaced out or phased adequately. The Agnipath India, public listing of LIC, to managing change, have a
pushing through quite a few whom are economically vul- the biggest of their short- scheme could have coexisted with regular recruitment for a merger of PSU banks, In- more palliative communica-
big reforms despite PM Mo- nerable and hovering around comings. If adequate inputs solvency and Bankruptcy tion strategy and phase the
di’s popularity and his sup- the poverty levels. In a zeal to are taken from “beneficiaries” few years before it completely replaced the regular recruitment Code, scrapping ofArticle reforms better. India needs
posed positive intent? There announce “big transforma- during the design stage and to reduce the pain and fear among the young aspirants. 370 and implementing GST. more reforms from this gov-
are a few theories. The first tive” changes, the government pilots are conducted, then History shows that it is rela- ernment and a little more ef-
theory is that PM Modi does might actually be scaring the policy related communica- beneficiaries or stakehold- siasm or a combination both. take the stakeholders along by tively easier to push through fort towards this will do the
not involve experts when stakeholders who may not tions could be smarter and ers would actually want and Also, if PM Modi’s natural being more empathetic and reforms relating to businesses trick.
forming policies. While this be prepared for reforms like initiatives could be phased how they would react. style is “Just do it, and do it sensitive to their real and per- and corporates compared to Alpesh Patel is a tech entrepre-
seemed true at the beginning open market competition better. Be it GST, CAA or the The root cause of the above fast”, he needs to learn from ceived needs. The government those relating to citizens and neur and has been a management
of his tenure as PM, learning (farmers, MSMEs) or short- farm laws, the government flaws in implementing big the experience of the last eight needs to pay greater atten- it is no different for the Modi consultant with Big4. He is the
from the demonetisation “fi- term contractual arrange- was caught off-guard for reforms could be PM Modi’s years and do more to alter his tion to change management government. It has faced max- author of the book ‘Chalta Hai
asco”, over a period of time, ment (for army) rather than not knowing upfront what overconfidence or overenthu- natural style with the goal to to make the reforms more imum opposition and failures India’ by Bloomsbury, India.
PERSPECTIVE
CONGRESS IN DECLINE
BJP HERE TO STAY

At the BJP National Execu- if the limited goal is to strike dynast who doesn’t know
tive in Hyderabad, Home at dynasty politics. For the For the short term, Chief Minister Eknath what to do with his silver
Minister Amit Shah made short term, Chief Minister spoon. Should he shake
an interesting comment— Eknath Shinde has shown Shinde has shown that there can be a Sena it or stir it or exchange
that the way he sees it the that there can be a Sena without the Thackerays—though we it! Party sources claim
BJP is here to stay for the without the Thackerays— that the Congress is still
next three decades. There though we have to see how have to see how this plays out in the courts not sure as to whether it
is no breaking news in this this plays out in the courts would be holding its inner
statement for the way the which will take into ac-
which will take into account the strength party polls in September
Congress is going it is clear count the strength of Shiv of Shiv Sainiks outside the House as well. as planned. Which means
that there is no stopping Sainiks outside the House that Rahul’s elevation
the BJP. But at the same as well. But if Eknath Azamgarh and Rampur to party leadership is divided could get further delayed.
time it would be interesting Shinde (aided and abetted the BJP. Akhilesh’s silence between Akhilesh and his Which means the confu-
to see what kind of a gover- by the BJP) is able to wrest on the hijab controversy Uncle Shivpal Yadav. The sion will further continue
nance model the BJP has the party symbol from the during the recent assembly young SP chief has a tough over the leadership issue.
in plan for the next three Thackerays then that sends polls was noticed by the task ahead and he made Well, on one side, there is
years. Will he be able to a very strong message to minority community. And the right decision when he a party that has the next
promote India as a vishwa- other political dynasties. now during the national gave up his Lok Sabha seat three decades chalked out
guru? Will the BJP be able Already Akhilesh Yadav executive Prime Minister for the MLA one. He has to and, on the other side, is
to end the politics of jaati- is feeling the heat. In the Modi pointed out that they show he is serious about a party that is to come up
wad and parivarwaad? recent bypolls, the Sama- need to woo backwards state politics. Then comes with a definite plan for the
Well Maharashtra seems jwadi Party lost two Mus- Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis amongst the Muslim com- the curious and curiouser next three months!
a step in the right direction lim dominated strongholds address a joint press conference in Mumbai on 4 July. ANI munity as well. Already the case of Rahul Gandhi, the PRIYA SAHGAL
Editorial Director: Prof. M.D. Nalapat; Managing Editor: Pankaj Vohra; Editor: Joyeeta Basu; News Editor: Bikash C Paul; Printed and Published by Rakesh Sharma for and on behalf of Good Morning India Media Pvt. Ltd.; Printed at: Good Morning India Media Pvt. Ltd, Khasra No. 39, Village Basai Brahuddin Nagar, Gautam Buddha
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6 legally speaking the daily guardian review
wedne s day | 06 july 2022
new delhi
non-bailable warrant about law
Supreme Court expresses ‘serious declaration oF law by court

concern’ over man arrested and will have retrospective
remanded in Maharashtra despite eFFect iF not otherwise stated
SC’s interim protection speciFically: supreme court
rashtra and when an interim interim protection from ar- The court further ob-
order regarding stay on his rest had come to an end after served that however, this
arrest was in operation. six weeks from the order of court didn’t make any other
The court observed that the Supreme Court dated comment in the matter and
analysis despite its specific interim
order of May 7, 2021, the
May 7, 2021. Further, the
Top Court noted that Mag-
granted state’s counsel some
time to file response to the
prosecution had obtained istrate calculated six weeks application. Thereafter, at
PRANSHI AGARWAL non-bailable warrants from the returnable date of the same time the Court di-
against the petitioner and the notice issued by the May rected that the petitioner, if
when the petitioner ap- 7, 2021 order and which was not required in any other
peared before the Court, by not correct. case, be released today it-
his order dated 24.06.2022, The Court added that in self and the compliance be
The Supreme Court in the rest was passed by the Apex the Judicial Magistrate First the order dated 24.06.2022, reported without fail today
case Pandit v. The State of Court itself. Class, Latur, sent him to ju- what has been observed by itself.
Maharashtra observed and The vacation bench com- dicial custody. the learned Magistrate is the Further, the court directed
disapproved the act of the prising of Justice Dinesh A notice was ordered by only reason for detention of that the order needs to be
Maharashtra police obtain- Maheshwari and Justice the Court on May 7, 2021, the petitioner in judicial communicated by mail to
ing a non-bailable warrant Krishna Murari observed which was returnable with- custody and the bona fide of the Magistrate and a copy to
(NBW) against a man. The while dealing with the peti- in 6 weeks and the court or- the prosecuting agency and be supplied to the State for
Top Court also noted of tion filled by one of the pe- dered that in the meantime about the operation of the appropriate instructions im- PRANSHI AGARWAL The consciousness of the court be seen on
the order of the Magistrate titioner named Pandit, who the petitioner shall not be order of this court, the un- mediately.
sending him to judicial cus- was sent to judicial custody arrested. derstanding of the learned Accordingly, the matter The Supreme Court in the the fact from paragraph 19 of the report
tody despite the fact that an in connection with an al- It was observed by the Magistrate become the mat- will be next considered on case Manoj Parihar vs State in P.V. George (supra), that when the
interim order staying his ar- leged cheating case in Maha- Magistrate Court that the ter of serious concern. July 7. of Jammu and Kashmir ob-
served and the court con- doctrine of stare decisis is not adhered
sidered one of the questions
that was whether the judg-
to, a change in the law may adversely
ment in the case Bimlesh affect the interest of the citizens.
Tanwar v. State of Haryana,
wherein it was held in the
judgement in the case P.S. tended which would strictly report in P.V. George (supra),
Ghalaut v. State of Haryana, not be in consonance of the that when the doctrine of
is not a good law, is retro- constitutional schemes. The stare decisis is not adhered
spective? court is of the opinion that to, a change in the law may
It was observed in Bimlesh the decision in P.S. Ghalaut adversely affect the interest
Tanwar, in terms of Article case does not lay a good law. of the citizens but still it was
16 (4) of the Constitution, an It was observed by the stated by the court that the
affirmative act meant for court in Bimlesh Tanwar power to apply the doctrine
providing a representation (supra) actually there was a of prospective overruling
of class of citizenry who declaration of law. so as to remove the adverse
are socially or economically Furthermore, the bench effect must be exercised in
backward. It was stated that said that the same will have the clearest possible term
Article 16 of the Constitu- retrospective effect, in the as stated. The Court made it
tion of India is applicable case P.V. George v. State of clear that anything done as a
in the case of an appoint- Kerala, wherein the court consequence of the decision
ment. It does not speak stated that the law declared of this Court in P.S. Ghalaut
about fixation of seniority. by a court will have retro- (supra), the court cannot
Thus, the Seniority is not spective effect, if not other- stand since this this Court
to be fixed in terms of the wise stated to be so specifi- did not apply the doctrine
roaster points. Further, if cally. The consciousness of of prospective overruling
that is done, the affirmative the court be seen on the fact in the case Bimlesh Tanwar
rule action would not be ex- from paragraph 19 of the (supra) in express terms.
suo motu case procedural need
college excursion bus catches Fire aFter non-submission oF certiFied copy oF gst
workers set oFF Firecrackers on its rooF, order appealed against within 7 days is a
kerala high court seeks state’s response mere technical deFect: orissa high court PRANSHI AGARWAL of Rs. 8,20,042 pertaining to
the tax periods from 01-04-
PRANSHI AGARWAL
The Orissa High Court in 2019 to 31-03-2020.
The Kerala High Court in the case M/s Atlas PVC It was observed that the
the case Suo Motu v. State Pipes Limited Versus State petitioner was aggrieved
of Kerala & Ors observed of Orissa observed and held by the demand and filed an
while adjudicating upon a that the non-submission of a appeal under Section 107 of
suo motu case regarding the certified copy of the GST or- the OGST Act. It was also
increasing number of road der appealed days is a mere asserted that the petitioner,
accidents. The Kerala High technical defect, against in order to comply with the
Court asked the State govern- within 7 days. condition for filing of the ap-
ment to file a report on the The Division bench com- peal and it deposited 10% of
incident where a tourist bus prising of Justice Krushna the tax in dispute in terms of
caught fire after firecrackers Ram Mohapatra and Jus- sub-section (6) of Section 107. against. Moreover, in order Within seven days of the fil-
were set off on its roof before tice Murahari Shri Raman However, the certified copy to comply with the direc- ing of the appeal in terms of
last month, venturing on a observed that on the altar of the order along with the tions contained in the notice, sub-rule (3) of Rule 108 of the
college excursion. of default in compliance of appeal memo could not be the petitioner applied for and OGST Rules, the petitioner
The Division bench com- a procedural requirement submitted by the petitioner. obtained a certified copy of was required to furnish the
prising of Justice Anil K Na- and the merit of the matter It was contended by the the required document. certified copy of the order the
rendran and Justice P.G Ajith of the case on appeal cannot petitioner that in addition Since 22.05.2022, the office department contended that
Kumar observed and listed be sacrificed. to the filing of the appeal of respondent was closed, having filed the appeal.
the matter urgently after a The court noted that since by electronic mode and self- being a Sunday, steps could the order contained in
news report of the incident the petitioner has enclosed attested hardcopies of the only be taken on 23.05.2022 Form GST APL-02 issued
caught its eye. The bench viral on social media, fol- cles Department promptly and State Police Chief to en- the copy of the impugned documents, while including to comply with the terms of by the Joint Commissioner
also condemned the contin- lowing by the news reports acting against contract car- sure through their officers order as made available to it a copy of the order available the notice dated 13.05.2022. of State Tax (Appeal) was set
ued flouting of road safety which suggested that certain riages using unauthorised that colour photographs in the GST portal while filing on the GST web portal and Further, the petitioner of- aside by the court. The court
regulations despite repeated bus operators had set off fire- lights and sound systems and video clippings of the the Memo of Appeal and the were furnished to the Appel- fered to submit the certified rejected the appeal in the
orders for their strict imple- works on the roof of the bus that distract other motorists exterior body of the contract non-submission of the certi- late Authority. A notice was copy on 23.05.2022 but the ground of non-submission of
mentation. to celebrate the advent of the and could potentially cause carriage or transport vehicle, fied copy, as has rightly been received by the petitioner respondent refused to accept a certified copy of the order.
It was observed that the college excursion. accidents. the driver cabin, and the pas- conceded by the Additional dated May 13, 2022; in the it. It was refused by the re- The petitioner was directed
state of affairs, as disclosed That video of the incident The Special Government senger cabin are enclosed Standing Counsel appearing notice it was indicated that spondent to accept the certi- by the court to appear before
from the news report that was viewed by the bench in Pleader sought time to get along with the accident or on behalf of CT and GST Or- the taxpayer was required fied copy on the plea that he the Joint Commissioner of
appeared in print and visual open court and condemned instructions on the incident, inspection report. ganisation, is to be treated as to submit the certified copies had already passed the order State Tax (Appeal), CT &
media make it explicitly clear the reckless violation of its it was also directed by the The court also directed the a mere technical defect. within seven days of the filing of rejection of appeal and on GST Territorial Range, Cut-
that even after the orders earlier order wherein it had court to him to get instruc- authorities and were asked to In the present case, the pe- of the appeal. However, the 23.05.2022, the same was tack-I, Cuttack on or before
of this Court the contract specifically warned against tions as to whether such make sure that a person who titioner, M/s Atlas PVC Pipes appellate authority ordered uploaded. 11.07.2022 with a certified
carriages are being used in the use of certain equipment vehicles were being used in drives or causes/allows to be Limited, a company incorpo- the petitioner to submit a cer- It was submitted by the copy of the order.
public places flouting the and technology on motor schools as educational insti- driven a transport vehicle in rated under the provisions tified copy of the document petitioner that the hyper- The court noted and di-
safety requirements, posing vehicles since apart from tution buses on a contract ba- any public place flouting of the Companies Act, 1956, by May 21, 2022. technical approach of the rected the Appellate Au-
a potential threat to the safety posing a potential fire haz- sis, and by the Kerala State the safety standards and deals in the supply of pipes It was submitted by the Appellate Authority ren- thority to decide the appeal
of passengers and other road ard to the passengers, such Road Transport Corpora- the standards prescribed in and under Section 74 of the petitioner that the Appel- dered the petitioner remedi- on the merits and make every
users. high-power systems violate tion for tourism promotion, relation to control of noise OGST Act, it claims to have late Authority by issue of less as there was no scope for effort to dispose of the case
It was observed that a wide safety standards. when the matter was taken and is proceeded against in participated in the proceed- notice dated 13.05.2022 im- approaching the Appellate by a reasoned order in ac-
public had garnered after the The court also observed up. accordance with the law. ing. However, CT & GST Offi- pliedly extended the period Tribunal under Section 112, it cordance with the law, after
incident and after a video that such violations contin- The court further directed Accordingly, the matter will cer, the Respondent by order for submission of a certified was noted that the Tribunal the submission of a certified
captured by a student went ued despite the Motor Vehi- the Transport Commissioner be taken up next on 8th July. raised a demand to the tune copy of the order appealed had not been constituted yet. copy of the order.
8 statistically speaking the daily guardian review
wedne s day | 06 july 2022
new delhi
plastic pollution
SINGLE-USE
PLASTICS
BANNED IN
INDIA: WILL
THIS WORK? According to a report by FICCI, about 60% of plastic waste in India is collected. The remaining 40% or 10,376 tonnes remain
uncollected.
Source: unsplash.com
Review, India is one of the largest gen- 1950, close to half of all plastics used
SHREYA MASKARA erators of plastic waste in the world worldwide have ended up in landfills
NEW DELHI
(12,994,100 tonnes in 2022) and also or were dumped in the wild, and only 9
generates the most plastic waste to be per cent of the used plastics have been
O
n 1 July, the Centre banned released into the oceans, second only adequately recycled. The ban - which
the use of “single-use plas- to the Philippines. Single-use plastics had been in the pipeline for over a year
tic” across India, including are the biggest threat to the environ- - is not the first time the country has
cigarette packs and cutlery. India has ment, wildlife, and to people. They attempted to tackle the problem of sin-
been struggling with the issue of plas- contribute to rising pollution and the gle-use plastics. However, previous at-
tic pollution. There is no organised toxic chemicals released from them tempts at imposing the ban have been
system for managing plastic waste in can affect groundwater, which in turn limited to certain states and products
the country, which leads to widespread causes deadly diseases. According to a and have seen limited success due to
littering. As per the World Population report from the Veolia Institute, since enforcement issues.
What Will the ban entail?

Single-use plastics include items that banned polythene bags under 75 mi- tion of the ban. Apart from this, special
can only be used once and usually make crons in September 2021, expanding enforcement teams will be formed to
up the highest share of manufactured the limit from the earlier 50 microns. check the illegal manufacture, im-
plastics. Items such as grocery bags, From December 2022, the ban will be port, stocking, distribution, sale, and
food packaging, bottles, straws, con- extended to polythene bags under 120 use of the banned single-use plastic
tainers, cups, and cutlery are all single- microns. Ministry officials have ex- items. Central Pollution Control Board
use plastics. Most single-use plastics plained that the ban is being introduced (CPCB) officials have also said that
are non-biodegradable. Instead, they in phases to give manufacturers time to state governments will be setting up
slowly break down into smaller pieces shift to polythene bags with larger mi- border checkpoints to stop the inter-
known as microplastics. As per the ban, cron sizes, which are easier to recycle. state movement of any banned single-
which came into effect last week, the Any violation of the norms — manu- use plastic item. In addition to this, the
manufacture, import, stocking, distri- facture, import, stocking, distribution, government has, over the past year, fo-
bution, sale, and use of single-use plas- sale, and use will attract penalties and cused on encouraging industries and
tics has been prohibited. This includes punishments laid out under the Envi- MSMEs to come up with alternatives
earbuds; balloon sticks; candy and ronment Protection Act, 1986. Accord- for plastic, including biodegradable
ice-cream sticks; cutlery items including to the Act, whoever fails to comply plastic and compostable plastic. A
ing plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, with the provisions may be punishable grievance redressal app was launched
knives, trays; sweet boxes; invitation with imprisonment for a term which so that citizens could act as watch-
cards; cigarette packs; PVC banners may extend to five years or with a fine dogs to help further enforce the ban.
measuring under 100 microns; and up to Rs 1 lakh, or both. In the past, environmental activists
polystyrene used for decoration. Pre- The government is planning to set and critics have highlighted the lack
viously, the Ministry of Environment, up control rooms at national and state of enforcement of any bans or policies
Forest and Climate Change had already levels to ensure effective implementa- implemented by the government.
t h e da ily gua r dia n r eview
we d n e sday | 0 6 j u ly 2 0 2 2
new de l h i statistically speaking 9
impact of thE Ban
The ban will play an enormous role in sideration. Banning plastic bags will biscuit packets etc.) as production at
combating numerous environmental reduce retail employment. According these price points becomes unviable.
issues as well as have a positive impact to the All-India Plastics Manufactur- Various industry representatives have
on individual health. The production ers Association (AIPMA), 88,000 asked the government for more time
of plastic requires a huge amount of MSMEs across the country produce to phase out single-use plastic prod-
energy and resources, which in turn single-use plastic items and employ ucts, and have questioned the govern-
contributes to increased carbon emis- around one million people, who will ment’s move to ban several products
sions and ultimately, global warming. lose their livelihoods due to the ban. that they claim are recyclable. As per
Reducing the use of plastic will result According to the Federation of Indian the Thermoformers and Allied Indus-
in fewer carbon emissions from pro- Chambers of Commerce & Industry tries Association (TAIA), the industry
ducing, transporting, recycling, and or FICCI, the ban will lead to an in- has a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore and
disposing of the waste materials, in crease in the prices of fast-moving directly employs two lakh people. The
addition to reducing illegal plastic consumer goods (FMCG) products. ban, it said, will render assets worth
waste being dumped into the ocean. It will also completely wipe out vari- Rs 5,000 crore useless overnight. It
However, the practical implications of ous low price point products (prod- will also affect the recycling industry,
the ban, including the loss of industry ucts that cost less than Rs 5 – such as which indirectly supports 4.5 lakh
and jobs should also be taken into con- shampoo sachets, detergent pouches, people, it added.
EvidEncE from othEr countriEs

India is late in jumping on the band- the European Union in 2021. and behavioural changes required to
wagon to ban single-use plastics. As There are many lessons that can be reduce the use of plastic in the country.
many as 27 territories in the Caribbean learnt from years of policy implementa- Behavioural change campaigns could
subregion and 34 countries in Africa tion in countries across the world. One lead to a decrease in the use of plastic
have passed a law banning plastics of the key steps is to ensure the regu- by consumers. Incentives could be pro-
and successfully implemented it. In lation of the entire lifecycle of single- vided to consumers to reduce the use
fact, Rwanda became the world’s first use plastics — from manufacturing of plastic. The case in hand is Ireland’s
‘plastic-free’ nation in 2009, ten years and production, use and distribution, Plastax, which levies a charge on the
after it introduced a ban on all plastic to trade and disposal. Governments use of plastic bags by the consumers.
bags and plastic packaging. Anyone often fail to incentivise the market of It led to a 90 per cent drop in the use of
who is caught with a plastic item faces plastic alternatives. They are also un- plastic bags, with one billion fewer bags
a jail term of up to six months. On enable to put policies in place that would used, and it generated $9.6 million for a
tering a border post into the country, require recycled content to be used in green fund supporting environmental
vehicles are searched and any plastic the production of plastic or biodegrad- projects.
bags or packaging are confiscated be- able bags. Another major issue that is going to
fore they enter the country. Similarly, While banning single-use plastic trouble consumers, as well as business
Kenya’s plastic ban is probably one by enforcing laws, accompanied with organisations, is that there is no clear
of the strictest in the world. Anyone stringent punishments, is a step in guideline in place for alternatives that
caught manufacturing, selling, or even the right direction, it is often found could fully replace plastics. There is an
carrying a plastic bag, either has to face that statutory measures on their own urgent need to invest in research and
four years of imprisonment or submit a are not sufficient to reduce the use of development into low cost and mass-
fine of $40,000. Apart from this, a ban plastic. As India bans the use of single- produced alternatives to single-use
on single-use plastics also took effect in use from 1st July, there are structural plastic.
The ban, effective from 1 July 2022, will be monitored and implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The ban may have a negative impact on street vendors who have to scramble to find India generates 15 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, but only one fourth of this is recycled due to the lack of a functioning
affordable alternatives. solid waste management system.
Source: Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022
04
RECENT BYPOLL RESULTS:

IN-DEPTH
ABSENTEE MLAs
OPPOSITION LOSING GRIP?

CAUSE A FLUTTER
IN MAHARASHTRA
CONGRESS CAMP
C
hief Minister Eknath
Shinde winning the
trust vote on the floor
of the House was ex-
pected as the breaka-
way faction had proved its
strength the other day in the
election for the Speaker. What
was noticeable on Monday’s
floor test was the absence of
Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadet-
tiwar from the proceedings
along with some other Congress
members. Chavan and Wadetti-
war failed to cast their votes as
they got “stuck in traffic”. Also
absent were six legislators of the
Nationalist Congress Party, two
of whom are in jail. Other MLAs
also said the Assembly doors
were closed a few minutes before
they reached the Assembly.
The absent legislators gave
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak, Party State President Swatantra Dev Singh and others celebrate the party's victory in the by-poll elections in Lucknow on June 26. their party bosses the jitters as
there was speculation that they
drubbing, the AAP lost its The recent outcome of the constituency by a margin of could be in touch with the Shin-
representation in LS. 6,104 votes. The bypolls were de camp. To rub salt, Devendra
Voters’ rejection of AAP bypolls across the nation crucial for Saha who re- Fadnavis thanked the absentee
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
within 100 days of its rule in have once again shown placed Biplab Kumar Deb members as they made the floor
the state has surprised one recently. Saha fought his test relatively easier for the rul-
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India and all. The disillusionment that the Opposition had first-ever direct election to ing combine. Their supposed
of the voters was evident with not only got its act save his CM’s seat. unintentional action was tanta-
a very low (45.3%) turnout. mount to supporting the BJP
As per insiders and several
together and even as WHAT AILS THE TMC? backed government.
T
he recent outcome of the by- newspaper reports, the issue individual Opposition TMC’s failure to win a single
polls across the nation have of Delhi’s remote control parties and as far as seat in the Tripura bypolls is
once again shown that the over the party in the state actually not surprising going
Opposition had not only got and the sensational murder these elections were by the way things are.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
its act together and even as of singer Sidhu Moosewala concerned, the poor show In the four seats which
individual Opposition par- had also put the party in poor went to polls, TMC received Set your heart on doing
ties and as far as these elec- light even as AAP continued only reveal the dismal 2.1%, 2.98%, 3.3% and 2.96% good. Do it over and over
tions were concerned, the its tirade against corruption. state of affairs especially vote share.
again, and you will be
poor show only reveal the People of the state are al- The party’s state unit chief
dismal state of affairs espe- ready feeling that Bhagwant
on Ground Zero Subal Bhowmik admitted filled with joy.
cially on Ground Zero. Mann’s government may not that “organizational weak- —Buddha
Lackadaisical attitude of be run by those they had elect- ty chief Akhilesh Yadav did ness” and “issues of continu-
leaders, disillusionment of ed three months ago. Even the not even bother to pay a single ity” were key factors that led
party workers, over confi- leaders reportedly feel less visit. On the last day of cam- to the dismal show. TMC
dence and lack of organisa- important. It is alleged that paigning, Akhilesh instead made the same mistakes in
tional hub… all these are main the rank and file do not have chose to visit Kannauj instead Tripura which BJP did in
TOP TWEETS
reasons behind the dismal much say in local governance of going to Rampur or Azam- Bengal during the 2021 As-
showing of the Opposition. and even AAP’s ministers and garh. Akhilesh had won sembly elections. Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Even after 100 days of the MLAs seem to have been side- Azamgarh seat in 2019 elec- Before Subal Bhowmick
crucial Assembly elections to lined. A look back would re- tions and vacated it in March was made TMC’s state unit
five states where the BJP veal the way the February 2022 after he won the Assem- president, party affairs in
may have won in four… but 2022 campaign was conducted bly polls. SP Chief had fielded Tripura were mainly man-
the Opposition had, on ac- with supremo Arvind Kejri- cousin Dharmendra Yadav in aged by West Bengal leaders.
Before Subal Bhowmick was count of vote share, im- wal as the trump card! Azamgarh. Even during the First, Sushmita Dev was giv-
made TMC’s state unit proved their status… How- 2014 and 2017 elections and at en the task to beef up party
president, party affairs in ever, all these are now a thing UTTAR PRADESH the height of the Modi wave, units in Assam and Tripura.
Tripura were mainly managed of the past, especially post BJP candidates swept the by- Samajwadi managed to win Tripura was later given to Ra- I pay homage to the popular politician
by WB leaders. First, Sushmita Shri Ram Vilas Paswan ji, who raised his
these election results! polls. They wrested both the this seat. jib Banerjee. Dev hails from
Dev was given the task to beef voice for the upliftment of the poor and
up party units in Assam and The AAP may have come to crucial and prestigious Azam- Assam and Banerjee from downtrodden, on his birth anniversary.
Tripura. Tripura was later power in February 2022 as- garh and Rampur from the TRIPURA Bengal... hence notice the Ajatshatru, Padma Bhushan Ram Vilas ji
given to Rajib Banerjee. sembly polls with a landslide Samajwadi Party which were BJP won in three out of four subsequent results… both was one of the prominent people-leaders
Dev hails from Assam and victory winning 92 of the to- once the Yadavs’ bastion. seats while the Congress won failed to build a proper organ- of the country. His contribution to Indian
Banerjee from Bengal... hence tal 117 seats and it had also While BJP toiled hard for one seat. Tripura chief min- ization even in the Bengali- politics will always be remembered.
notice the subsequent results…
both failed to build a proper represented the Sangrur Lok its candidates in both the ister and BJP leader Manik speaking pockets.
Sabha seat since 2014 (Bhag- seats during pre-poll cam- Saha won the Assembly poll THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY Bhupender Yadav
organization even in the
Bengali-speaking pockets want Mann), but with this paigning, the Samajwadi Par- from the Town Bardowali THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
@byadavbjp
JUDICIARY UNDER A An open letter to the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana

n open letter to the
Chief Justice of condemning Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB
India NV Ramana
Pardiwala for their observations in the Nupur Sharma The virtual herbarium is a collection of
VICIOUS ATTACK
condemning Jus-
tice Surya Kant case has added a new dimension to the attack on the digital images of preserved plants or
independence of judiciary in general and the Supreme plant parts freely available. The portal is
and Justice JB Pardiwala for
envisioned to be the complete and up-to-
their observations in the Nu- Court in particular. The two judges had lambasted the former date status of India’s botanical diversity.
pur Sharma case has added a BJP spokesperson for her loose remark on Prophet Muhammad Over 70,000 visitors from across the
new dimension to the attack and the Delhi Police for its kid glove treatment to Sharma globe have visited the new web portal
on the independence of judici- of #Indian_Virtual_Herbarium of @
ary in general and the Su- bsi_moefcc since its launch on July 1.
preme Court in particular. of the judges’ observations to alluded to the dangerous sit-
The two judges had lambasted make a wild accusation. “The uation in the country when l Vol 4 l Issue No. 30
the former BJP spokesperson observations also graduate to he said that some forces were l RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764.
for her loose remark on Proph- most unjustifiable degree trying “to run down judici-
Printed and published by
et Muhammad and the Delhi that this was ‘only to fan an ary, the only independent or-
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
Police for its kid glove treat- agenda’,” the letter said. The gan” in the country. Judici- First Express Publishers. Printed
ment to Sharma. Instead of letter writers go to the extent ary’s dilemma is that the at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B.
appreciating the judges who of seeking de-rostering of party in power expects every Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk
showed some spine in the in- Justice Surya Kant till his action of the government to Road, Jaipur. Published at 304,
terest of harmony, 15 former superannuation and with- be endorsed, while the Oppo- 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das
judges, 77 retired bureaucrats drawal of his remarks. Both sition wants the judiciary to Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001,
and 25 retired officers of the the steps would go against advance its causes”. In these Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.
armed forces have viciously judicial independence. surcharged times the judici- Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
attacked the two judges. The trolls also targeted ary’s most difficult task is to Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan
The “worrisome” part of the SC. maintain a balance like the responsible for selection of news
the letter is that it uses a part The CJI in a recent speech blindfolded lady. under the PRB Act
millenniumpost
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY, 2022 Editorial 7
EDITORIAL A long way to go
A consequential rush India has made a good beginning by ‘partially’ banning single-use plastics;
A
fter the political turmoil in Maharashtra has come all stakeholders need to come together to make the move a success
I
to a close, an old environment-related conflict
has resurfaced. Among the first decisions of the ndia’s ban on select sin- — the plastic industry or gov-
newly sworn-in Eknath Shinde government is the gle-use plastic items has ernments, for instance. All the
resumption of the metro-shed project around Aarey forests come into effect from July stakeholders involved from the
— leading up to peaceful protests by environmentalists. The 1, 2022. Although this is production of raw materials,
path towards resolution of the controversy has been com- the country’s first attempt to plastic manufacturers, giant
pounded by the fact that what should have been purely an SIDDHARTH regulate plastics available in FMCG companies, national,
environmental issue, has taken stark political colour. Metro-3 GHANSHYAM SINGH the market, it will send out the state and local government
project, sanctioned way back in 2015, and initiated in 2019 wrong message if we say “India along with the consumers have
by the BJP government, is yet to see the light of the day. The is banning single-use plastic”. their parts to play to make the
project was stalled by the Uddhav Thackrey-led MVA govern- This is because even after ban a success.
ment in November 2019. The 600-acre land of Aarey colony July 1, the Indian market con- The plastic industry, man-
was declared as ‘forest’ — forbidding multiple forms of continues to sell a gamut of sin- ufacturers and FMCG compa-
struction including government facilities. Uddhav Thackrey, gle-use plastic items like soft nies should consider coming
who had been a wildlife photographer at some point in time, drinks and mineral water bot- up with design changes in their
was opposing the project right from the beginning. Thack- tles, all products sold in multi- product packaging to elimi-
rey must be credited for his efforts towards exploring alterna- layered packaging, among nate the necessity of ancillary
tive sites. He appointed a committee chaired by Additional others. These plastic items per- plastics like straws. This will be
Chief Secretary (Finance) Manoj Saunik for the purpose. The fectly fit the bill for single-use possible when the companies
MVA government, however, went against the recommenda- plastic going by the definition come together and pool their
tion of the committee itself which discarded the existence of India has adopted. resources to find an optimal
any viable alternative; and gave a green flag to the Kanjur- India defined single-use design that not only promotes
marg site. This again was opposed by the BJP, with Devendra plastic in an August 12, 2021 profit but also cares for people
Fadnavis claiming that he had already considered the option notification as “plastic item and the planet.
but couldn’t succeed. The matter further became compli- Alternatives intended to be used once for It is wrong to categorise India as a single-use plastic free nation The national and state
cated with the involvement of the Central government which are another the same purpose before being governments have a long
challenged the state government’s prerogative over the land, disposed of or recycled”. left out. Plastic carry bags, for with companies such as Parle away from single-use plastic road ahead of them to ensure
claiming that it belonged to Centre’s salt department. Hence, aspect of the In the same notification, instance, will not be banned, Agro, Amul, Dabur, Pepsico items listed for phase out. enforcement of the notified
a parallel legal battle commenced which is yet to be resolved. plastic ban. It is the Union Ministry of Envi- they will still be available but and All India Plastic Manufac- Substitution challenge ban. We just cannot envis-
The Aarey project assumes significance for the BJP as it aims ronment, Forest and Climate the thickness has been reg- turers Association (AIPMA), Alternatives are another age that from July, India will
for its speedy completion. Also, the project is personally dear understood that Change had devised a phase- ulated to be more than 75 are seeking an extension of aspect of the plastic ban. It become a single-use plastic
to Devendra Fadnavis who might be seeing it as undoing of the alternatives out plan for 21 select single-use microns till December 31, 6-12 months on the ban, cit- is understood that the alter- free nation.
his arch rival Thackeray’s action. The speed with which the items — which excluded plas- 2022, and more than 120 ing issues like unavailability of natives market in India is at This is going to be a work
new government has resumed the project can also be seen in
market in tic packaging materials. microns from December 31, alternatives, economic infeasi- a nascent stage, which forces in progress, wherein the state
the context of the personal backlash Devendra Fadnavis had India is at a The media is doing a com- 2022 onward. bility and demand-supply gap, companies to import and thus, pollution control boards and
received from environmentalists back in 2019. It must, how- nascent stage, mendable job of spreading the Similarly, banners made which will increase the cost of increases cost. pollution control committees
ever, be realized that the Aarey project has far greater conse- word about the ban, but needs from polyvinyl chloride their product packaging. The alternatives manu- will need to get down on the
quences than merely political ones. The project site is located which forces to avoid calling it a blanket ban (PVC), will still be available, It is important to note that factured in India come with ground for inspection of facili-
around Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), which is home companies to on single-use plastic. A similar but the thickness should not the first announcement for a premium price which may ties, known to be hubs for plas-
to a diverse range of rare wildlife animals. The core argument problem was observed when be less than 100 microns, the phasing out single-use plas- be unaffordable in most cases. tic manufacturing to stop the
of protesting environmentalists is that the completion of the import and thus, Europe and, most recently, government mandated. tic was made on August 15, This is primarily due to the production of the banned plas-
project will spell disaster for these voiceless living beings. increases cost Canada identified a meagre So, in no stretch of imagi- 2019 by the Prime Minister of scale at which the alternative tic items right at the source.
In addition, it will amount to large-scale felling of trees. The 10 single-use plastic items to nation is India banning all sin- India. Roughly two years later, market currently operates. Consumers like you and me
state government is already claiming that it has cut above be banned; the media labelled gle-use plastic items. in March 2021, the draft noti- The alternative market also have a role to play, which
2,500 trees, and that the 25 per cent of the work is already them as countries who have Industry resists fication was released. needs to be offered support ranges from refusing the use
completed. It is being claimed that a comparable number of banned single-use plastic. One of the plastic items The deadline for phase out, through government initia- of plastic carry bags irrespec-
trees has been planted elsewhere, but how many of those will The Indian government has listed for phase out that is fac- proposed in the draft notifica- tives to make their reach wider. tive of the thickness, consum-
result in full-grown trees and in what time, remains uncertain tried to identify a handful of ing a lot of resistance is plas- tion, was January 1, 2022. In However, caution is needed ing consciously and, of course,
and dependent upon multiple factors. The state government problematic plastics, which are tic straws. Giant fast-moving the final notification released when promoting alternatives, segregating the solid waste we
may be making a mistake by discarding the protests as ‘spon- low-utility and have high litter- consumer goods (FMCG) in August 2021, the deadline so as not to create a fresh set of generate in our households.
sored’ and protesters as ‘politically motivated’. By doing so it is ing potential, from the bucket companies are claiming that was extended to July 1, 2022 problems while fighting plastic This will ensure plastic waste
undermining the significance of the concerns raised by them. of single-use plastic commod- plastic straws are an inherent based on the request from the pollution. can be diverted away from
These are precious voices that need to be heeded to, and not ity list and give the industry a part of the product packaging plastic industry and AIPMA. Making India plastic-pol- dumpsites to treatment facili-
sidelined. Trampling of these voices will only lead to grave reasonable time to phase them and hence have a low littering This means, an extension of lution free is not going to be ties, where it can be recycled
political and environmental consequences — that’ll neither out. propensity. six months was already granted easy and the responsibility is and given a second life. DTE
be good for the government nor the people. Neither the BJP’s But many items have been The plastic industry, along to the industry, to transition not limited to one stakeholder Views expressed are personal
rush to implement Aarey project nor the Shiv Sena’s alterna-
Marred with controversies

tive of Kanjurmarg are backed by substantial evidence. Both
have their own sets of flaws. At the end, the entire debate
boils down to development vs environment discourse. It is
highly unfortunate that governments in India still feel that the
environment can be accorded secondary status against devel-
opment. The rising instances of environment-related disasters
and distortions in day-to-day lives signal that environment
and development are not antithesis of each other but rather
complementary in nature. Just because there is no alterna-
tive to the Aarey forest land, the project should not have been
Amid numerous pros and cons of the Agnipath scheme, there is a need
resumed in a rush. Detailed cost-benefit analysis of all the
three alternatives — Aarey project, Kanjurmarg site and not to chalk out an acceptable path, as change is inevitable
J
having the metro project at all — should have been carried
out before making any decision. The Maharashtra govern- uly 24 is the ‘star’ 250-year-old institution and no
ment can still, by keeping its political ego aside, carry out exam date for selecting hit and trial method in a jiffy
detailed assessment of the project for the sake of the environ- Agniveers for the Indian shall be tried here. Choudhry
ment. It’s never too late to mend! Air force under the clearly stated, “The war on the
SANJAY GUPTA Agnipath scheme. Will the battlefield is ‘distant’, now, and
Agnipath scheme, as stated in times to come weapons will
DearEditor by the government, produce

young officers who will take
international security chal-
be used based on technology,
including IT and cyber ware,
and I think the navy and air
lenges head-on, or, by saving force may also face the same
FILLING THE COFFERS! on pension bills to foot the problems. There should be no
welfare schemes, the present knee jerk reaction”
This is in reference to the editorial, ‘Not without pitfalls’. dispensation will ensure it An Agniveer coming out as
The government’s decision to levy a windfall tax on profits remains in the seat of power? a ‘sailor’ from the Indian Navy
earned by OMCs is a classic example of ‘Rob Peter more, Pay It also remains to be seen if has great future prospects to
Peter less’. Not only is it a classical communist move that the the scheme will make India a be absorbed in the merchant
government has made, the justifications behind it make it militarised society. The ques- navy or equivalent. Adds Kak-
one of the worst decisions in recent times, clearly outlining tions are at galore and change kar, “The government has well
how starved the government is for funds. Firstly, let us set a is always resisted. planned the scheme, after four
common ground by understanding that the price of crude in Indian defence forces, years, each Agniveer will get an
India is not actually a reflection of actual crude prices, but known for their josh, jazba, income-tax-free Rs 11.71 lakh
an unhealthy cocktail of govt levies and taxes which make naam, nishan and izzat, are as ‘Seva Nidhi Package’. The
the price rise to stratospheric levels. Now one wonders as set to undergo transforma- Indian Air Force aspirants will take exam on July 24 under the Agnipath scheme monthly salary of an Agniveer
to why would the govt tax the profits when it could have tional shift — making forces in the first year of employment
simply earned that money by way of dividends from its own Populist reform advanced and tech savvy, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, argued, aspirants would have applied, regiments of armoured core, shall be Rs 30,000 though the
OMCs. Windfall taxes are just a way of ensuring that the improving the youth profile “In one of the shlokas of Bhag- and post-selection they will core of signals, engineers, in-hand amount will be Rs
government coffers are filled while the investors are left empty measures like by bringing down the average wat Gita, it is said that “change be imparted the same type of air defence and mechanised 21,000 while the rest Rs 9,000
handed. Add to that, this decision is in direct contradiction OROP have age of officers from 32 years to is one cannot stop, evolution training as to other jawans, infantry; six months will not will go to a corpus with an
with the recent move of the govt wherein they reduced the 26 years, and saving finances cannot be stopped and evo- the army will just not bring be enough to impart knowl- equal contribution from the
centre’s share of taxes in crude price in the name of public
also made by curtailing the ballooning lution is for better, good and down their training param- edge and practice.” He sarcas- government. Consequently,
good. Such sudden tax policies that have no stability do not things difficult pension bills which consume
around 50 per cent of the
equality.” He added, “The
defence forces are a voluntary
eters. Under the new training
schedule, these recruits will be
tically pointed out, “Yes, for
basic infantry, this time may be
the monthly salary in the sec-
ond, third and fourth year will
portend for a stable future where enterprises will always for the state defence budget. organisation and not a welfare trained in Information Tech- enough but not for the above. be Rs 33,000, Rs 36,500 and Rs
prioritise safeguarding their earnings instead of public good.
exchequer as General JJ Singh, former organisation, whosoever gets nology to make them tech Maybe digging trenches is 40,000.”
— GAURAV GUPTA, GURUGRAM via email COAS (chief of army staff), selected goes as per (his/her) savvy, as the future battlefields alright but not beyond.” Financial expert and a char-
pension bills informs, “Introduction of own will, and when lays life for will be different from conven- Populist reform mea- tered accountant, V Bansal,
millenniumpost.in exceed that Agnipath scheme is a welcome the nation becomes a martyr.” tional warfare.” sures like OROP have also avers, “Currently, the defence
change for the Indian defence Major General Rajiv Indian Navy retired Com- made things difficult for the budget is less than three per
Log on to write letters to the editor or send them to of military forces, and as seen, the change Edwards (retired) opines, mander, Jalaj Kakkar, says, exchequer as pension bills cent of the national GDP,
letter2editor.mp@gmail.com. You can also send your comments to The Editor, hardware in the system attracts resis- “Four years period is a short “Agnipath scheme might have exceed that of military hard- and if it is increased even to
Millennium Post, Pratap Bhawan, 5 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002 tance. The government has time to train a jawan. The first some shortcomings, the same ware. Adds Singh, “The gov- three per cent then the resent-
shown its readiness to improve year goes into basic training shall be improved with the due ernment has to do a holistic ment amongst political parties
the working of the forces and and fitness at the allotted cen- course of time, but a section of brainstorming on the present shall be put to rest. Fiscal year
is doing a commendable job by tre. The Major argued that political parties and a caucus pension budget, as the civil- 2022-2023 defence budget is
Tweet of the day recruiting youngsters.”

Old guards of the Indian
army who may also associ-
“the jawan will not be com-
petent enough to perform or
fight in CI ops in north-east
of coaching institutes creating
ruckus on roads or rail is a bad
show of nationalism.”
ians employed under the min-
istry of defence draw pension
from the defence accounts and
pegged at Rs 5,25,166 crore,
which includes Rs 1,19,696
crore for defence pensions,
ate themselves with the army or J&K operations.” He fur- Emphasising on the need their pensions are quite size- whereas allocation for reve-
GST on Health Insurance: 18% of British India have, how- ther questioned, “During the for change, Singh said, “No able when compared to com- nue expenditure is Rs 2,33,000
GST on Hospital Room: 5% ever, cast reservations against service, we also tell jawans that government in the world bined defence forces’ yearly crore. However, the revenue
the shift in paradigm for the after completing 32 years of can now give endless per- pension amount.” expenditure takes account of
GST on Diamonds: 1.5% selection process. Vice Chief age, you might get absorbed manent jobs, the time has Casting still sharper reser- expenses on payment of sala-
of Indian Army, Lt Gen Shan- in one of the CAPFs, but it sel- come to innovate and bring- vations, Edwards noted, “Once ries and maintenance of estab-
‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ is a painful reminder tonu Choudhry (retired), prof- dom happens, then how come in new sustainable changes in the person is inducted and is lishments.” Agniveers will be
of who the PM cares for. fers, “As an old timer soldier, the government assurance of employment. Also, the politi- a junior, there are colloquial awarded with skill certificates,
RAHUL GANDHI the Agnipath scheme is not 10 per cent of job promises in cal parties which are oppos- terms used in the regiments, credits for pursuing higher
@RahulGandhi attractive and there are serious CAPFs for Agniveers will be ing the scheme may give their similarly, for these four-year education, a better financial
A single, low GST rate will reduce com- doubts, like that around moti- fructified?” suggestions to further improve recruits, these words too shall package as well as sufficient
pliance costs, prevent govt from playing vation and leadership quali- Talking on the compe- the scheme.” be used and (new recruits) skills for getting absorbed in
ties in all those who will be tence of the to-be recruits, Being a member of crew may not be taken seriously by their future endeavours.
favourites & ease burden on poor & selected under this scheme.” Singh clarified, “Agniveers served weapon system, the seniors, emboldening the The writer is an accredited
middle class families. On the other hand, former will be selected after a tough Choudhary remarked, “One apartheid system.” freelance journalist.
director general, Assam Rifles, competition where lakhs of of my serious doubts is that in The Indian army is a Views expressed are personal
EDIT
DECCAN CHRONICLE| WEDNESDAY | 6 JULY 2022 | COIMBATORE
pg 6
Subhani
6 JULY 2022
Maha crisis not yet over,

wait until next act starts
T
he political drama that went on for 14 days in Maharashtra has
ended with the installation of a government under chief minister
Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena leader who led a revolt against the
party leadership, but the political uncertainty in the state is far
from over. The passage of the confidence motion with a 164-99 voting has
categorically established the numerical strength of the new government
but several aspects of the series of events that unfolded in the past two
weeks have been challenged in the Supreme Court, including the actions
of governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The Constitution expects a governor to act in a non-partisan manner but
the acts of Mr Koshyari after June 27 when the Shinde faction raised a ban-
ner of revolt leaves no one in doubt that he offered scant respect to consti-
tutional niceties, his concentration fastened on facilitating a regime
change with the BJP at the helm.
The governor ordered then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove
his majority through a floor test to be conducted on June 29, within a bare
24 hours of him receiving a communication from the rebel group about its
withdrawal of support and BJP leaders urging him to do so. This was at a
time when the Supreme Court had ordered a
All parties are virtual status quo while considering a petition
interested in by the rebel faction against whom deputy speak-
proving that their er Narhari Zirwal had issued a notice of dis-
actions are qualification on June 25. Mr Shinde had told the
court that it was constitutionally impermissible
lawful and for Mr Zirwal to take action on disqualification
Rewriting history, with an OUTBURST
LETTERS
RAJA’S NEEDLESS
constitutionally petitions while a notice for his own removal
tenable. And the was pending. The court had ordered that it will
answers to these hear the parties concerned and gave them time
till July 12 to file their responses. It had also
questions can be observed that it did not want the petitions to
decided only by become infructuous, which means that a status
open mind or empty mind? South Indian history, trated in specific regions.
Political observers and
ruling party supporters
are amused and annoyed
the apex court. quo was expected till the final decision. that is fairly distinct
If Spear and Thapar are over the needless outburst
While Mr Thackeray resigned from the post
without facing the floor test, the governor quietly allowed the election of Mohan and certainly more
reticent about acknowledg-
ing the role of other of A. Raja against the
the speaker, which he had been delaying for about 16 months, to take place.
A BJP leader was elected Speaker as per rules which are now questioned Guruswamy glorious than the tale
of defeat after defeat
regions in the shaping of
modern India, A.L.
Central government
when there is no visible
in the Supreme Court, and Mr Shinde proved his majority under his Basham and S.A.A. Rzvi,
watch.
in north India, gets in their two-volume effort ground for confrontation
As it stands now, the Supreme Court decisions on two key issues which only three chapters. The Wonder That Was
have a direct bearing on the government are pending: the election of the The region now India, have even less time
between the state and PM.
speaker, and the notice issued by the deputy speaker to 16 rebel Sena accounts for almost and space for other regions Even on the GST sharing
H
MLAs. The governor’s actions have not helped settle issues, but exacer- istorical revi- the first time. and their contribution to issue the FM of the state
bated them instead. sionism is the In 1957, the centennial ce-
40 per cent of India’s the composite culture and
Legal issues apart, Maharashtra politics has been following a logic of its process of re- lebrations of India’s First population. the multi-dimensional has of late toned down his
own. The state has witnessed the sight of parties dumping their partners writing history War of Independence hap- character of the Indian criticism against the
while chasing power and then going back after the November 2019 elec- to correct the pened and I suddenly dis- nation. Rizvi’s volume cov-
tions. To be fair, the power struggle in Maharashtra was never about what misinterpretations of the covered that what my his- South Indians (ASI), who ering the period 1200-1500 Centre. The Central min-
is right and wrong. All parties are interested in proving that their actions past or for an ideological tory textbook was having are primarily from the sub- AD is so single-minded istry officials are also very
are lawful and constitutional. And these questions can be decided only by purpose. Plato wrote that me believe was wrong. continent. The resear- that it is entirely devoted to receptive and accom-
the apex court. In short, it’s only an interregnum before the net act begins. “those who tell stories also This historical revision- chers, by measuring the the Muslim rule over parts
hold the power”. The corol- ism is legitimate as it set lengths of the segments of of India. Quite clearly, if modative to the various
lary to this is that those out to correct the narrative ANI and ASI ancestry in Indian society has to be demands of TN ministers
who hold power inevitably by looking at the same Indian genomes, were able inclusive, all its various
want to re-interpret the old events with a different per- to obtain precise estimates peoples must share a com- like foreign trip license for
Have guns, will shoot stories. British scholars,
who seemed genuinely int-
erested in how this country
spective. It is difficult to be
entirely objective when
writing history. But when
of when this population
mixture occurred. They
found that it started 4,200
mon perspective of the
past. This is not so at pre-
sent and hence, to my mind
the start of new trade and
industrial ventures and
so on. There are still cer-
A
s a day of national celebration turned into tragedy with six deaths and evolved, wrote most of mo- history is rewritten with- years ago — the Indus at least, the history text-
dozens of injuries, the United States of America was left grieving yet dern India’s history. Ind- out being subject to the Valley Civilisation was books need to be rewritten. tain issues like Neet and
another mass shooting. The killings carried out by a gunman with an ian rulers were generally rigours of academic and waning then, and huge What then needs to be
assault rifle firing serially from a rooftop on a parade in Chicago, Illinois was more concerned with their scientific discipline, it migrations were occurring debated is what should this Hindi as third language in
just one of at least three such incidents on July 4, a day more famous for com- own periods, and often would be nothing short of across north India, which history be, for the facts schools. Perhaps the MP
memorative fireworks than the display of the destructive power of assault change of dynasties meant charlatanism. might have caused the cannot be altered and
weapons. That there have already been 308 mass shootings in 2022 in the US is loss of continuity. Indians In recent years, the inter-marrying. Clearly much as the Sangh Parivar
of Nilgiris tried to draw
ample indication of the harm unfettered access to weapons can cause. also did not leave historical Sangh Parivar’s historians there were people here, but may like to do so, Babur the attention of both the
In a gun-worshipping nation with more weapons than people, a gun has his- records, nor did they trea- have been seeking to revise they were not Aryans. But cannot be wished away. CM and his electors in the
torically symbolised masculinity and power. Every time a logic-defying mass sure them. Charles Allen history to suit some of this runs counter to long- But will common sense tri-
shooting takes place, the gun reformists are seen to be up in arms but they run in his book Ashoka: The their ideological peculiari- cherished Sangh Parivar umph over the RSS’s genet- Nilgiris from his sagging
into not only a most powerful gun lobby but also a legislature hamstrung by Search for India’s Lost Em- ties. Their intellectuals are notions of who we are. ic memory? Unlikely, for and dwindling popularity
the filibuster and a judiciary inclined towards preserving the right to individ- peror writes about how the collectively at work to Whatever be the version from what one hears the
ual self-defence as guaranteed by the Second Amendment. story of India’s greatest debunk the Aryan inva- of history that emerges, made-to-order history that among people.
It’s not as if they didn’t try in the wake of the shocking shooting at a Texas emperor and his dramatic sion theories (AIT), which this or that of Romila is being written has the S.Baradwajputhran,
school in which 19 children and two of their teachers died. However well-inten- life had to be “prised out have been amply eviden- Thapar, Irfan Habib and Aryans and Dravidians, Chennai
tioned the reform movement was, the bipartisan Bill, signed into law by US from the crevices of the ced by linguists, archaeolo- others, what will still both, as indigenous people,
President Joe Biden, carries only heavily-watered down measures more than past”. Amazing, isn’t it, to gists and of late by geneti- remain is a history focused if not one and the same.
strict gun control particularly required against young people who are still free
to access assault rifles and unlimited ammunition.
realise that till about two
centuries ago Ashoka, now
cists. Their theory is that
Aryans migrated from
on the people of the Indo-
Gangetic plain. And that is
This will then leave us
wondering why Brahui, a
PATHETIC SHOW
The US Is not the only country to suffer this problem of (mostly) male gun so central to our under- India. In their view: “The my real grouse. Take for language still spoken by It is a great game of cricket. Team
owners losing their minds to open fire at malls, schools and such places where standing of our perception long-puzzling remains of instance the two volumes certain tribes in India put into bat and scoring 416
people gather. Many nations like Norway, Britain, Canada and Germany have of ourselves, was lost to our Harappa and Mohenjo Da- of The History of India by Balochistan, is considered could not pose a good second innings
acted to restrict the sale of military-style firearms and control gun violence as consciousness? It was peo- ro, for example, discovered Percival Spear and Romila by philologists to be a score and lost the Edgbaston test by
in mass shootings. But nowhere has gun ownership been easier nor an endur- ple like ICS officer James after the AIT was devel- Thapar. Of the 24 chapters, Dravidian language? 7 wickets. The inept batting on the
ing tradition of permitting the carrying of weapons in public perpetuated as in Prinsep who deciphered oped, suggested practices 21 are about the peoples What about the work of penultimate day by the lower order
the US. So much so, it has become a civilisational challenge at its most acute Brahmi and reintroduced similar to those of contem- who either lived in or kept linguists the world over batsmen, including first innings
in the land of the free. Ashoka to us. porary Hinduism, under- conquering the Indo- who trace all modern Indo- centurion all put paid to our hopes
As a young student in a cutting the belief that Gangetic plain. European languages to one in the end. England under new
Catholic school, in recently Hinduism was a religion South Indian history, proto-language now called coach is doing extremely well for the
independent India, the first imported from the outside that is fairly distinct and the Nostratic language fourth time in succession this sum-
DECCAN CHRONICLE history lessons imparted to into the subcontinent.” certainly more glorious with its origins in Central mer. Repeated failures of Virat
me told that story, particu- A 2009 study carried out than the tale of defeat after Asia? Can all this be Kohli is a cause for concern. He
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR
Editor Printer & Publisher larly of the period of the by David Reich, a professor defeat in northern India, wished away? should have given way to Ravi
R. MOHAN last occupation by the Bri- of genetics at the Harvard gets only three chapters. So, by all means rewrite Ashwin in the team. Our team is get-
Resident Editor tish, somewhat differently. Medical School and the And mind you, the Deccan our history. That task is ting an unnecessary boost with the
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: According to this, British CSIR-Centre for Cellular region now accounts for long overdue. But the ques- print media and the TV media show-
Chennai: SP 3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032. Phones: (044) 22254747,
22254748 rule was a most benign and and Molecular Biology almost 40 per cent of tion is whether the coming only Team India's winning
Coimbatore: No. 2/22 Sengalipalayam Road, N.G.G.O. Colony Post, Kurudampalayam Village, beneficial period for Ind- (CCMB) in Hyderabad, ba- India’s population. Little is missioned historians have matches. After Ishant Sharma's
Coimbatore-641022. Phone: (0422) 2231255, 2231256 ians. This could even be sed on an analysis of 25 dif- told about regions like open minds to get it right retirement, we do not have a
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad 500 003. Phone: (040) 27803930-4. Fax: (040) true for social reforms like ferent Indian population Odisha and Bengal while and keep the ideological replacement and Rahane's replace-
27805256.
Visakhapatnam: Survey No. 1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony, the abolition of sati and the groups, found that all popu- Assam hardly figures. Of clap-trap out of it? I ment Shreyas Iyer is just showing
Visakhapatnam - 530 017. Phones: (0891) 2552333/2552334, Fax (0891) 2755285 building of great canal sys- lations in India showed course, as can be expected, doubt it. style and not substantial scores.
Vijayawada: No. C 3 & 4, Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.). Phones: (0866) tems and the railways hap- evidence of a genetic mix- there is not very much When Shradul Thakur got concus-
2555284/ 2555287, Fax (0866) 2555234 pened during this period. ing of two ancestral written about the original The writer, a policy ana- sion check-up, he ought to have been
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry 533125. Phones: (0883) 2417208, 2417618
Anantapur: Thapovan Colony, Bangalore Bye-Pass Road, Anantapur 515004. Phones: (08554) 276903, The unification of India groups: the Ancestral and autochthonous pre- lyst studying economic and sent inside and a substitute in
Fax: 08554-276904 into one great political North Indians (ANI), who Aryan and pre-Dravidian security issues, held senior Ashwin could have made the open-
Nellore: Survey No. 527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemudugunta Panchayat, Nellore. entity also happened in are related to Central people. Even today, our positions in government ers work hard for runs. In all, it was
Phone: (0861) 2348581/ 82, Telefax (0861) 2348580 this period. Above all, sou- Asians, Middle Easterners, indigenous people account and industry. He also spe- a pathetic show.
Karimnagar: H .No. 1-21-12/1, Cheralabhutkur Road, Mugudhumpur Village, Karim Nagar - 505186
Phone : 9121181123 thern India came under Caucasians, and Euro- for about 12 per cent of the cialises in the Chinese econ- Jayanthi Subramaniam,
Delhi’s imperial rule for peans; and the Ancestral population and are concen- omy. Coimbatore
T
he “special military operation” that Russia by itself, either economically or militarily. Japan towards Asia”, adding that “Nato is nothing but a Swedes, 82 per cent Canadians and 80 per cent
launched in Ukraine on February 24 this greatly relies on US security assurances but wants perpetrator of the US hegemonic strategy”. South Koreans have a negative perception of
year has refocused a floundering Nato on European countries to take an interest in Japan’s In Madrid, there was a US-Japan-South Korea China.
its core objective of guaranteeing the secu- security and integrity as well. On the eve of going Trilateral Summit, which was held after almost After the Ukraine invasion, Nato’s fortunes have
rity and territorial integrity of its members, which to Madrid, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had said five years. This was a reflection of both President changed dramatically. In an interview to the
has now being extended to all European countries that at the Nato summit he would “promote the Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida desiring to Economist in November 2019, France’s President
Skand Tayal bordering Russia.
Nato’s June 28-30 Madrid summit not only reiter-
idea that the security of Europe and the Indo-
Pacific region are inseparable”.
improve the frosty relations between the two coun-
tries. Some observers believe that Japan and South
Emmanuel Macron had warned Europe “Nato had
become brain-dead”. This remark was provoked by
ated its commitment to aid and arm Ukraine but The countries of the region are also wary of Korea may come closer due to China’s increasing Nato’s insufficient response to then US President
also for the first time, recognised “systemic compe- China’s aggressive designs on Taiwan. Australia’s belligerence. President Yoon has publicly said he Donald Trump’s distrust of Europe and question-
tition” from the People’s Republic of China which new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that wants to improve ties with Japan, suggesting that ing the value of US security guarantees to Europe
“challenges Nato’s interests, security and values, the “Ukraine invasion has brought democratic all “past and present issues be addressed at the enshrined in the Nato Charter. Mr Trump’s main
A rejuvenated and seeks to undermine the rules- based interna-

tional order”. The June 29 Madrid summit declara-
tion said Nato members were united in their “com-
mitment to democracy, individual liberty, human
nations together whether they may be members of
Nato, or non-members such as Australia”.
South Korea’s new President, Yoon Suk-Yeol,
went on his first overseas visit to Madrid for the
same time”. This will include issues like “comfort
women”, wartime slave labour, the issue of the sov-
ereignty of Dokdo/Takeshima island, and will be a
tall order.
grouse with Nato had been that the European coun-
tries were spending only on an average 1.77 per
cent of their GDP on defence, while the United
States was spending 3.7 per cent of its GDP.
Nato now casts rights and the rule of law” and for “upholding the
rules-based international order”.
In the Indo-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand,
Nato summit. Responding to a question on his
return from Madrid, he avoided naming China but
said “South Korea’s diplomacy has been focusing
A Nato summit with the “Asia-Pacific-4” was also
held. This can become a regular feature in future
Nato summits, bringing the four “partner” coun-
This won’t be the first time Nato has turned its
gaze towards Asia. Nato had led the “Resolute
Support Mission” in Afghanistan (2015-21).
its gaze towards Japan and South Korea are “partners” of Nato and,
for the first time, their leaders also participated in
the Nato summit. These four countries, however,
on how to deal with a certain country. But as I said
in my Nato speech, it is important for South Korea
to pursue common values and rules, and unite with
tries closer to Nato deliberations and decisions.
China’s creeping expansionism, its “wolf war-
rior” diplomacy, the flagrant violation of the UN
After the Quad security dialogue among the
United States, India, Japan and Australia gained
traction since 2019, both China and Russia had
the Asia-Pacific did not sign Nato’s Madrid declaration.

China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy in its neigh-
borhood has created unease all around and
America’s allies in the region are seeking to
others when these values and rules are violated.”
China is against Seoul and Tokyo joining Nato’s
plans to strengthen its foothold in the Indo-Pacific
region. After the Madrid summit, China’s foreign
Convention on the Law of the Sea in the South
China Sea and aggression in Ladakh have trig-
gered a rethink among the policymakers of major
countries of both the Indo-Pacific and Europe. The
erroneously termed the group as an “Asian
NATO”. What lies on the horizon may be the
expansion of Nato’s ambit to the Indo-Pacific. The
expansionist actions of China is solely responsible
strengthen security ties not only with the US but ministry spokesman said “Beijing will not ignore Pew polls of most countries reveal an increasingly for this strategic shift.
also with Europe. Japan observers have noted a bit- attempts to undermine China’s interests”. unfavourable view of China amongst countries
ter realisation in Japanese ruling circles that it The North Korean reaction was characteristical- near and far. A recent poll showed that 87 per cent The writer is a retired diplomat and has served as
would be impossible for Japan to stand up to China ly blunt, accusing Nato of “turning its sinister eyes of Japanese, 86 per cent Australians, 83 per cent India’s ambassador to South Korea
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For TV, e-paper & news visit: www.live7tv.com
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Ranchi, Wednesday
July 6, 2022
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ASHIS BISWAS functioning. In recent years, all
major parties including the BJP,
F
or the ruling Trinamool Congress, the CPI(M)-led Left front
Congress(TMC) in West and the TMC, had come in for sharp
Bengal and its bigger ally criticism from especially youthful
in the Northern districts aspirant Gorkha voters, as the
Bharatiya Gorkha demand for a separate state became
Prajatantrik Morcha stronger. The nearly decade-long
(BGPM), the recently concluded elec- delay in organizing the second round
tions brought good news. The BGPM of GTA polls also added to bitter dis-
dominated the Gorkhaland illusionment about some political
Territorial Administration (GTA) parties and their leaders.
polls, winning 27 seats, while the Trinamool Congress, however,
TMC won five. made a major breakthrough in
Led by Mr Anit Thapa, the BGPM North Bengal through its victory in
won the mandate to form the 45 Siliguri polls. In the Siliguri Sub-divi-
member GTA policymaking Board. sional Council polls, the TMC bagged
The TMC won a seat for the first 320 out of 462 seats, while the BJP
time, while the newly set up Hamro won 86 seats, Congress 21 and the
Party, led by Mr Ajoy Edwards, won CPI(M) 15. Independents won 20
8 seats. Independents won five seats. seats. Further, in the six by elections
Other major political contenders in six North Bengal municipalities,
including the Gorkha Janmukti the TMC won 4 seats as against one DR GYAN PATHAK businesses are actively working talks about skill development and women which include bridging skill
Morcha (GJM),the BJP and the each by the CPIM) and Congress. towards value creation in terms of asset ownership in partnerships with gaps by carrying out periodic assess-
T
Gorkha National Liberation Front There was no question about the he women labour force skilling, digital literacy, financial liter- governments, CSOs, and allied busi- ments and partnering with platform
(GNLF), boycotted the elections held better showing put up by the TMC participation in India has acy and inculcating entrepreneurship nesses to reskill and upskill women business for onboarding skilled
after a delay caused by the Covid 19 this time. Chief Minister Mamata remained low, oscillating spirit, and praises platforms for offer- and PwDs while also facilitating their women and PwDs, reaching out to
pandemic and other reasons. Each Banerjee thanked the people of between 16 to 23 per cent ing flexibility and choice of labour to access to assets. Other recommenda- unbanked and underbanked women
party gave its own reasons for not North Bengal for their increasing in the last few years chiefly all workers in general and women and tions include better infrastructure and and PwDs through FinTech services,
contesting. support and said the peaceful elec- because structural barriers PwDs (persons with disabilities) work design to create enabling envi- and incentive inclusive businesses -
The BJP held the GTA itself to be tions held would strengthen the ranging from access to education, lack empowering them to monetize their ronment for women and PwD workers, women led-platforms or platforms that
'an unconstitutional entity', a stand cause of democracy. She called for of skilling and a direct correlation idle assets when and where they want. and facilitate access to social security encourage recruitment of women
announced by the party's lone MP better, more harmonious relations between gender or disability and inci- This benefit is missing in traditional benefits for women and PwDs. Such employees and PwDs.
from the region Mr, Raju Bista. The between the people of the hills and dence of poverty. Moreover, the major- employment sectors. Platforms are things are yet to be done under the One of the recommendations relat-
GJM led by prominent Gorkha lead- the plains. ity of them working are in very low thus attractive avenues of livelihood present government, public, and pri- ing to gender sensitization is too ambi-
ers and newsmakers Mr Bimal In fact, according to north Bengal quality of jobs. Now, the emerging opportunities for women and PwDs, it vate sector policies, especially relating tious in the present context of very low
Gurung and Mr Roshan Giri, both media accounts, even Hamro Party trend suggests that they are more like- says. to women workforce, being vigorously level or female workforce participation
generally regarded as representa- leader Mr Edwards expressed his ly to take up platform jobs after their However, as of now, even the study pursued by the Modi government, and and its background of neglect and apa-
tives of the 'militant' Gorkha senti- surprise over the new found support education and marriage, an unenvi- says, the platform economy relies on hence there is no guarantee that in the thy of the Modi government. Organize
ments, also stayed away. So did the for the TMC from a section of the able situation, that a NITI Aayog study innovation to provide access to skill nascent emerging gig and platform gender sensitization and accessibility
more moderate Gorkha National people. released recently called 'an emerging development, social security, access to sector would even be able to do so in awareness programmes for all public-
Liberation Front (GNLF), a party set Supporters of parties boycotting positive trend'. finance and job creation, which are near future. facing personnel from traffic cops and
up by the late Subas Ghishing. the polls, pointed out that both the The Modi government think tank, the key pillars of inclusive growth. Therefore, the whole emphasis on law-and-order police to toll booth
The party alleged that the state TMC and Hamro parties had taken since NITI Aayog is creation of PM This comment indirectly accepts the the Gig and Platform Economy is mis- operators, et. al, it recommended.
Government was never serious advantage of the absence of major Modi after dismantling the former precarious present situation of the gig placed and it has been pushed by the Make the aggregate data publicly
about giving long aspirant Gorkhas a forces like the BJP or the GJM stay- 'Yojana Aayog' in 2014 when he and platform economy with special Modi government at the cost of tradi- available, the last recommendation
significant measure of political ing away, recording impressive became Prime Minister of India, bring- reference to workforce in general and tional jobs. Since this government is says, to enable robust decision-making
autonomy, despite various official wins/gains in the political space left ing forward such a comment as women workforce in particular. not able to provide decent quality reg- by the ecosystem. It is not too much to
promises from Kolkata from time to vacant. 'emerging positive trend' is unfortu- Moreover, the recommendations sug- ular salaried jobs to nation's work- hope that the Modi government would
time. The first GTA elected in 2011 While the first steps were being nate at a time when the country's gest a great deal of other things that force and over 90 per cent of them are do it that has always been guilty of not
could hardly function effectively, taken in Kolkata to ensure a women workforce have been aspiring our workforce is suffering in the gig condemned to work as informal and maintaining and providing timely and
lacking both administrative acumen smoother functioning for the newly for decent good quality regular and platform sector. low-paid low quality jobs, it is simply accurate data regarding the work-
and adequate financial assistance elected GTA, there was a clear indi- salaried jobs with full social security The very first recommendation for an expediency to lead people dream in force? The whole study is thus intend-
from the state Government, despite cation that the old demand for a coverage. It could have been done only the industry suggests how much diffi- the name of gig and platform jobs cre- ed to create a favourable atmosphere
repeated reminders and requests. separate Gorkha-ruled state was by removing barriers in way of women culty surrounds our female workforce. ating hype about their being able to for Gig and Platform Economy, that is
Both BJP and GJM parties about to be revived. As soon as the workforce, not in any other way, and Gender Sensitisation and Accessibility enhance the prospects of livelihood. essentially motivated towards profi-
alleged that contrary to all official results were announced, Mr Thapa, of course not by promoting 'gig and Awareness Programmes for workers The recommendations for the teering, but not really for the benefit of
promises/commitments, the GTA BGPM leader in his very first state- platform' jobs having little social secu- and their families is recommended Government, Civil society, Allied busi- the workforce in general and women
elected in 2011had neither mini- ment as the new GTA head, rity with majority of them are of low with partnership with civil society nesses, and Nonprofits are even too workforce in particular.
mum autonomy, nor funds, nor announced that he would sponsor a quality. organizations (CSOs) and NGOs to pro- dreamer to realize, which Modi gov- We must take note of the comment
properly assigned functions for the unanimous resolution demanding a Nevertheless, Modi government is mote legal, economic, and social rights ernment would or could never do, not made in the study that says, "Being in
few officials who had been appoint- separate state for the Gorkhas. pushing Gig and Platform Economy in of women, especially from marginal to talk about other players. It can be its nascent stage, the platform econo-
ed, let alone adequate financial Considering his reputedly warm ties a big way, hence the study titled and vulnerable backgrounds. commented by our general experi- my in India is yet to be studied com-
assistance for different departments with the TMC, this came as a sur- 'India's Booming Gig and Platform The second recommendation sug- ence. For example, full social security prehensively. Not only are there sever
that mostly existed on paper. prise. Observers said such a move Economy: Perspectives and gest for gender and accessibility inclu- coverage is and old demand of the data gaps when it comes to enumerat-
Officials based in Delhi and would pit the BGPM in a directly Recommendations on the Future of sive communication, systems, and workforce which is yet to be fulfilled ing gig and platform workers, there is
Kolkata refuted some of these alle- confrontational course vis-à-vis the Work', at the cost of PM Modi's own processes. It also gives desirable even in traditional world of work. much to be explored on the regulatory
gations. They pointed out that there TMC.As Chief Minister Ms Banerjee promise of 'work with dignity for all' example that Platform businesses can Therefore, ensuring universal cover- front as well. The exercise of policy
had not been a proper accounting had declared strongly that as long as which would drive workforce in gener- ensure there is a higher share of age of platform workers through Code design and implementation must keep
for the official sums received from she was in charge, there would al and woman workforce in particular women as managers and supervisors, of Social Security recommendation its specific subjects and well defined
time to time by the GTA on various never be another division of West into low quality jobs. It would have forgetting the fact that such things ceases to have any face valued since purpose, in order to be effective."
heads. Despite repeated reminders, Bengal. Broadly her stand had been greater implication on women work- could not even done in the traditional the difficulties preventing social secu- Modi government therefore must
details of expenditures incurred on supported by Congress at the centre. force who might be landing into a sce- working environment in the country, rity coverage now cannot be wished act to provide jobs to female workforce
welfare projects intended to improve However, it was the BJP that nario of all sorts of exploitations. what can women hope for in the gig away in the hands of the Gig and by removing the structural barriers to
roads, medical facilities, setting up seemed to split over the demand for As the title suggests, India's Gig and platform sector that has not even Platform Economy. their employment and employability in
schools in the hills were not fur- a separate state. Gorkha leaders like and Platform Economy is booming. fully emerged? Similar will be the case with other general and in comparison to male
nished. Instead, there had been Mr Gurung and others have always The study also says that Platforms In one of its recommendation it three recommendations related to workforce in particular.
occasional complaints about corrup- made it a point to meet North Indian
tion at the grassroot level.
Over time, general grievances
BJP leaders in Delhi or in the hills to
press for greater Gorkha autonomy ��
spread among a significant segment and a loosening of ties with the
of Gorkha voters, who openly criti-
cised the central Government for not
settling the historical demand for
separate statehood and the state
Bengal administration.
In Kolkata and elsewhere, most
Bengal-based BJP leaders also
opposed the demand for a separate
��
L S HERDENIA the selection of candidates in various These districts include districts
Government for allegedly neglecting statehood, presumably to retain the ��
regions. For example adequate like Morena and Bhind of Chambal
the minimum demands of the people party's following among Bengali ��
BHOPAL: On July 6, crores of Madhya importance had not been given to known for skewed sex ration and
as well as ignoring their economic Hindus. However, tribal BJP leaders ��
Pradesh voters will elect their local Jyotiraditya Scindia even in the areas patriarchal society besides the dis-
development. Despite their initial like Mr Bistaor senior central BJP ��
government bodies. Originally elec- where he wields influence. According tricts like Rewa, Satna and Sidhi. The
enthusiasm, lack of visible progress Ministers visiting North Bengal had ��
tions were to be held in 2020 but they to one report, his photograph is miss- districts where female voter turnout
at the grassroot level led to a gener- generally been more supportive of ��
were delayed because of Covid-19. ing from the election propaganda has been more than males during
al disillusionment over the GTA's the demand for Gorkhaland. ��
The term of all the local bodies material. both the phases include Sidhi, Rewa,
expired in 2019. During the gap, Though Congress and BJP are �� Morena, Satna, Katni, Umaria, Panna
affairs of local bodies were governed major rivals in the local body polls, �� and Bhind.
�� by officials.
Massive planned efforts were
AAP has also made surprise entry.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
��
��
The overall voting percentage dur-
ing the first phase of elections which
��
�� made by both BJP and Congress. Both
the parties are attaching great impor-
while addressing a public meeting in
Singrauli appealed to people to give a ��
��
were held on June 25, across all the
districts of state was 78% and in it
��
tance to the elections because they chance to his party. He said "Vote for 77% was female voter turnout and
are being held only one year ahead of all those who are contesting for the �� 79% was male voter turnout. But in
Vidhan Sabha elections which are due post of corporators. I tell you we will the same phase there were 10 such
�� in November 2023. Both the parties change Singrauli in 5 years. If we do districts namely Shivpuri, Sidhi,
�� are attaching great importance to not work, I will not come to seek ing ease his drive through ward 22 Rewa, Morena, Satna, Katni, Umaria,
�� these elections because their verdict votes the next time. For so many (Ginnouri). Unless told, one might Ashok Nagar, Panna and Bhind where
�� will give broad indications to who will years you have tried other parties, try assume he is canvassing for someone female voter turnout was more than
�� capture power in 2023. Kejriwal for once. I am not that bad.' else, He has recorded his own males.
�� Among the two parties BJP is "If anyone falls ill in Delhi, no mat- voiceover with a unmissable appeal to And the second phase of
�� making all out efforts to capture max- ter what the disease, the Delhi gov- vote for his symbol, hockey ball. For Panchayat elections that were held
�� imum number of local bodies. An ernment provides treatment. We the novice, typical dialect it sounds across 47 districts on July 1, overall
�� episode can be cited to substantiate made energy available for 24 hours 'Haaki ball' When he is not contest- turnout of 80% was reported wherein
�� the impression that extraordinary and made it free. We made energy ing elections he is singing bhajans in 80% female voters turnout was
�� importance BJP is attaching. BJP free in Punjab also. Where do we get Devi Jagran and Sundar Kand at peo- reported and 81% male voter turnout.
�� National executive has held its meet- the money? It is from honesty and in ple's homes and institutions (as men- But during the second phase there
�� ing in Hyderabad. Chief Minister putting an end to corruption" tioned on his pamphlet). were 12 districts namely Sidhi, Bhind,
�� Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP Kejriwal Said. There is one more unique feature Shahdol, Satna, Rewa, Umaria,
�� president went to Hyderabad to Though most of the candidates are of the current local body election. In Morena, Katni, Panna, Balaghat,
�� attend the meeting. But both left for using traditional methods to woo vot- the first two phases of Panchayat Seoni and Betul where more female
�� Bhopal even though meeting was still ers there are some exceptions who elections, women voters outnumber voter turnout was reported compared
�� half way. are using unique methods. One such male in several districts. Not only to males.
�� Though BJP is leaving no stone candidate is Mohammed Ashraf. In that, women also outnumbered male And there were 8 such districts
�� unturned for capturing maximum of his 30s he is a Bhopal Municipal as participants in various activities where more female voters voted com-
�� local bodies but one fact is being Corporation candidate with a marked connected with poll campaign. In at pared to males in both the phases of
�� noted by observers. That is the party difference. He is going it alone, liter- least 8 districts females have outnum- Panchayat elections held so far. The
�� does not appear that united as it used ally. On a minimal budget he drives bered males in stepping out and exer- third and final phase of Panchayat
�� to be. Reports are coming about dif- his own SUV fitted with a loudspeak- cising their voting rights in both phas- elections are slated to be held on July
�� ferenced among party leaders over er. Power windows and power steer- es of Panchayat elections. 6 in the state.
MYK
4
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net
log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday The Goan (Playstore) Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday Wednesday July 6, 2022
Freshwater cycle at risk of upset

Ambitious e�orts to slow climate change and halt deforestation could
We must build dykes of courage to hold back the �ood of fear. still prevent dangerous changes to the cycling of Earth’s green water
Martin Luther King Jr
>The writer is
PhD Candidate
Don’t divert attention

in Planetary
Boundaries,
Stockholm
University
from pathetic roads ARNE TOBIAN
with Zuari heroics

>The writer is
Working Group
Leader, Terrestrial
O
Safe Operating
Space, Potsdam
n a day when heavy rains lashed the State �ooding Institute for Climate
Impact Research
roads, inundating low-lying areas and further ex- have been crossed in many river basins mean prolonged and more intense
DIETER GERTEN due to a sixfold increase in the extrac- droughts in many regions, like those
posing the crumbled road infrastructure, we saw the tion of blue water over the past century. currently a�ecting Chile and the western
PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral photographed with an Besides irrigating crops to sate growing US. This limits photosynthesis in plants,
umbrella in tow accompanied by his aides, briskly >The writer is demand from people and livestock, pop- which absorb less of the CO2 heating
Researcher and ulation growth and higher standards of Earth’s atmosphere. The land carbon
walking over the deck inspecting the progress of the new Zuari Theme leader, living have raised global domestic and sink, which currently soaks up about
bridge. That’s some showmanship because the weather was in- Anthropocene industrial water consumption, disrupt- 30% of annual CO2 emissions, is weak-
Dynamics, Stockholm ing aquatic ecosystems and decimating ened as a result, and could even become
deed stormy. On the �ip side, roads elsewhere were crumbling, Resilience Centre, the life within them. a net source of carbon in the future.
the potholes were turning into craters with the bitumen layer of Stockholm University By including green water in our as- Too much soil water is no good either.
roads being wiped o� in several places. More than checking on LAN WANG ERLANDSSON
sessment, we found that freshwater’s Water-saturated soils make �oods more
ability to sustain a stable Earth system is likely and su�ocate plant growth. Abnor-
the progress of the bridge, the road infrastructure needed atten- even more threatened than �rst reported. mally large quantities of water evaporat-
tion as a priority. Radiation from the sun evaporates ing from wet soils can delay the onset of
G
With great pomp, it was announced that the new iconic Zuari reen water – the rainwater availa- green water in the soil, cooling the envi- monsoons in places like India, where the
ble to plants in the soil – is indis- ronment and returning moisture to the dry season has extended and disrupted
bridge will be opened in September. One may ask, was that a pri- pensable for life on and below the atmosphere where it forms clouds and farming. High humidity combined with
ority? There are half-a-dozen deadlines that have been missed land. But in a new study, we found that rain. This cycle sustains some of Earth’s high temperatures can also cause dead-
till now, and not a soul has been pained over those. Goans are widespread pressure on this resource has most important ecosystems, such as ly heatwaves, as the human body quick-
crossed a critical limit. the Amazon rainforest which makes up ly overheats when sweating becomes
ready to take missed deadlines in their stride, not the pathetic The planetary boundaries framework – roughly 40% of global tropical forest, impossible in very moist air. Several re-
roads because that a�ects day-to-day a concept that scientists �rst discussed in stores roughly 112 billion tonnes of car- gions, like South Asia, the coastal Middle
2009 – identi�ed nine processes that have bon and harbours 25% of land-based life. East and the Gulf of California and Mexi-
commute and puts lives in peril. The
Crumbling road remained remarkably steady in the Earth Research shows that clearing forests co, are experiencing this lethal combina-
infrastructure has been a potholes and washed-out roads are system over the last 11,700 years. These in-
clude a relatively stable global climate and
reduces the �ow of moisture to the at-
mosphere, dampening how e�ciently
tion much earlier than expected.
Growing scienti�c evidence suggests
constant feature in Goa, too serious issues for the common man an intact biosphere that have allowed civi- the Earth system can circulate water and that the planet is both drier and wetter
and despite the furious that their attention cannot be diverted lisations based on agriculture to thrive. Re- ultimately putting ecosystems like the than at any point within the last 11,700
assurance by the chief by the grandiose announcement of the searchers proposed that each of these pro- Amazon at risk of collapse. Global heat- years. This threatens the ecological and
Zuari bridge opening. cesses has a boundary that, once crossed, ing and changes to how the land is used, climatic conditions that support life.
minister last year and puts the Earth system, or substantial com- especially deforestation, are among Our analysis shows that the sixth
the installation of a new Incidentally and rather curiously, di- ponents of it, at risk of upset. the biggest factors responsible for hu- planetary boundary has been crossed.
PWD minister, nothing rections have been issued to suspend A comprehensive scienti�c assessment manity’s transgression of this planetary But ambitious e�orts to slow climate
has changed. In fact, the the licence of a road contractor for two in 2015 found that human activity has boundary. Their combined in�uence in- change and halt deforestation could still
already breached four of the planetary dicates that the planetary boundaries in- prevent dangerous changes to the cy-
road infrastructure has years for shoddy work on the recently boundaries. Greenhouse gas emissions teract and need to be treated as one net- cling of Earth’s green water. Along with
gone from bad to worse hot-mixed roads from Divya Circle to are brewing a hotter climate, the sixth Abnormally worked system. other measures, switching farming prac-
mass extinction of species is unpicking large quantities Food production also depends on tices to sustainable alternatives would
the Secretariat and Miramar. The ques- the web of life that makes up the global of water green water. Around 60% of staple food prevent more soil being degraded and
tion that needs to be asked is, why is only one contractor picked biosphere, intensive farming is polluting evaporating production globally and 80% of cultivat- losing its moisture. Explicitly governing
up? Was this to pacify the Panaji MLA, or is it to justify that some the environment and natural habitats are ed land is rain-fed. In these areas, the green water and its protection in policy
being destroyed on a signi�cant scale. Ear- from wet soils only water reaching the crop is what rain and legal frameworks may also be nec-
action has been taken? What about other road works? lier in 2022, researchers announced that a can delay provides. Even irrigated crops rely on essary.
Selectively targetting contractors will not remedy the overall ��h planetary boundary had been crossed the onset of rain to some extent. Research has shown that farming is a
situation which has been worsening every passing shower. Sus- with the emission and accumulation of monsoons We found that since the industrial rev- major cause of multiple planetary limits
chemical pollution and plastics. olution, and especially since the 1950s, being breached. Shi�ing diets towards
pension is �ne, but take stock of all such contractors whose works So far, it has been suggested that human in places like larger parts of the world are subject to sustainable plant-based food is a simple
have been of sub-standard quality. Also, suspend all those PWD use of freshwater is still within safe limits India, where signi�cantly drier or wetter soil. This yet highly e�ective option for keeping
o�cials who were in charge of quality checks, and who have ap- globally. But earlier assessments only con- the dry season shi� towards extreme conditions is an humanity within these boundaries.
sidered the extraction of what is called alarming development due to the indis- Humanity is no longer in the safe
proved the works. Names of those contractors who violate the De- blue water – that which �ows in rivers
has extended pensable role of water in maintaining re- zone. Immediate action is needed to
fect Liability Period have to be in the public domain because this is and resides in underground aquifers. Even and disrupted silient societies and ecosystems. maintain a resilient and nourishing
nothing but a fraud on public money. Taxpayers need better roads
then, regional boundaries are likely to farming More frequent and severe dry spells freshwater cycle.
and at least basic facilities. Thirdly, the government must ensure

that black-listed contractors are not allowed to participate in ten-
ders on �ctitious names, or by using names of their kin.
THE INBOX >> I
The PWD minister may have started cracking the whip, how- ran away.
ever, the intentions are far from convincing, because bigger con-
BJP and its media persecution It is sickening that such appalling
only serves to divert attention Hotels could now increase price of food things are happening in broad daylight
tractors are going scot-free. The PWD has turned Nelson’s eye to Amid rising consumer complaints, the Central Consum- and that too in public places. For the lit-
Come Goa’s assembly session and tle girl, that trauma encountered may be
the pitiable condition of the newly laid highways and surfaces all eyes are on the Opposition. The LoP
er Protection Authority (CCPA) has on Monday reportedly
barred hotels and restaurants from levying service charg- a lifelong scar that she may never forget.
of �yovers. Why has the PWD minister not inspected these, and seems to be hobbled by a blackmail- The increasing varied types of crimes
es automatically or by default in food bills and allowed
why is there no stock-taking and action here? ing BJP. Can Rahul Gandhi be blamed?
customers to �le complaints in case of violation. The CCPA should be a matter of concern. We all
When the BJP with its media persecu- need to be alert and cautious at all
Crumbling road infrastructure has been a constant feature in tion of one single person has managed
has issued guidelines for preventing unfair trade practices
and violation of consumer rights with regards to levying times against such heartless and crude
Goa, and despite the furious assurance by the chief minister last to divert the entire media in one direc-
of service charge. It is understood that restaurants and culprits. Safety of all and specially the
year and the installation of a new PWD minister, nothing has tion--- target Rahul, then those brain- defenseless little children is paramount.
hotels generally levy a service charge of 10 per cent on the
washed can do so! Goa’s current state The authorities must do all in their pow-
changed. In fact, the road infrastructure has gone from bad to of a�airs has come to pass because,
food bill. Now no hotel and restaurant can collect service
er to prevent such serious crimes and
charges even by any other name. This is a step in the right
worse. without rhyme or reason, the State ‘wel-
direction since a 10 per cent service charge on the food track down such culprits to ensure they
While the State is going through a metamorphosis on land with comed’ the TMC at the eleventh hour! feel the full force of the law.
bill can work out to a substantial amount. Of course the
The ones who ‘invited’ the TMC are now AIRES RODRIGUES, Ribandar
land-grab and illegal land conversions taking centre stage, the consumer can tip the waiter, which is voluntary. On the
looking to ‘whitewash’ their sins. The
government cannot be oblivious to the pathetic infrastructure press is so ‘tuned’ to targeting Rahul
flip side, without the service charges, there is every possi-
bility of hotels and restaurants increasing the price of the Solve perennial problem of
they are afraid to question other local
that is taking shape in the name of ‘Vikas’. leaders. Yet, Rahul is the lone person
food and beverages they o�er to the consumer. waterlogging in Smart City
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
who questions Modi and Shah -- no one The heavy rains, lashed the State
else in the country can do this. bringing misery given the lackadaisical
AAP and RGP are clueless: they did attitude of government and local bodies
not even ‘know’ that the dismissed an- pity that Goa can’t meet the daily basic in completing works with most of the
OPEN SPACE >> ganwadi teachers were being publicly necessities of the people even a�er areas getting inundated. The roads in
deprived of civil liberties by the Chief several years of attaining statehood, Panaji are a mess and with the rain it is
Cabral should stop fooling Minister Pramod Sawant. There are so
many issues the two parties can take up
as agriculture has failed miserably in
Goa . So what is the solution? And for
worse than anything else. The recent
hot mixed roads across Panaji has been
Goans on state of roads but they want to only put up a ‘show’!

R FERNANDES, Margao
how many more years will we continue
to depend on other States for our basic
le� with familiar sight of dangerous
potholes. It happens every year. It’s
P
daily needs. di�cult to tell where the road ends and
WD Minister Nilesh Cabral has now reportedly ordered the suspension of a
road contractor’s license for two years for shoddy work done by him on the Goa must end dependence on AF NAZARETH, Alto Porvorim where the pavement begins. Crores
road stretches from Divja Circle, Panjim to Secretariat, Porvorim and from other States for basic needs Prompt police action will
of rupees have been spent to develop
Panaji as a Smart City, but nothing has
Divja Circle, Panjim to Miramar to temporarily bring down the tempers of all
I am really surprised that Goa being
those using these particular roads on a daily basis in Goa.
the smallest state in the country has ensure children’s safety been done to see that water flows out.
Intermittent powercuts, improper water
Well, some might say that Cabral have done a fantastic job by suspending
this particular contractor’s license for two years (Hey, why just two years? It
still to depend on neighbouring Kar- On Sunday evening while at Panaji’s Send your supply and contamination, potholed
should have been suspended permanently for life) but what about the minis-
nataka on several fronts, as even the Kadamba Bus Terminal to board the letters to us roads and waterlogging are the hallmark
basic necessities of day-to-day living shuttle service to Mapusa, what was
ters/PWD o�cials who have taken huge commissions and who must have also
are not met. In Porvorim for example witnessed was so very chilling and
at editor@ of Goa. This highlights the authorities
failure in resolving the problem of water-
been involved in awarding this contract to the above mentioned contractor in
we have several vegetable and fruit horrifying. An infuriated mother with a thegoan.net. logging every monsoon. Waterlogging
Goa? When will they be punished or sent to jail for doing so and when will their
commissions be fully recovered?
shops that receive their daily quota of 10-year-old daughter was fuming and Letters must is so bad that it has made it di�cult to
I therefore personally feel that Cabral should take serious action against all
supplies from neighbouring Belagavi running all over in search of the thug be 150-200 use the roads. Better the people have
via trucks that bring the supplies every who molested her little girl. The mother to wade through the water or use make-
the real culprits i.e. ministers, PWD o�cials/engineers, etc responsible for the
morning. Since the markets in Belagavi and the little girl had boarded a bus words and
shi� boats to navigate the waterlogged
worsening condition of most of the roads and then dream of giving us a few
are closed on every Monday, there is and while the mother stepped out to mention the roads. The authorities should try and
long-lasting roads of international standards in Goa.
JERRY FERNANDES, Saligao
acute shortage of vegetables , fruit and buy a bottle of water, a maniac got into writer’s name and �nd a solution to this problem.
milk in Porvorim every Tuesday. It is a bus and brazenly molested the girl and and location KG VILOP, Chorao
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New Delhi, Wednesday, 6 July, 2022
EDITORIAL THE SIKH TIMES 6
Absence of civil liberties

leads to violence
HISTORIC moments arrive in the life of a political
Agnipath is as much about discipline as jobs
society when its members begin to think, reflect The philosophy of military training is the reformatory bedrock to create a disciplined population. It instils the qualities of honesty, integrity, punctuality and patriotism. For the first four years, training the
on, debate and reiterate the foundational youth at the age of 17 to 21-23 years may be the status quo. But the fifth year onwards, there shall be a large pool of disciplined and trained youth; each year, the pool shall grow exponentially.
principles of their democratic polity. The first
such moment came in the aftermath of the internal The Agnipath scheme, in the long-term perspective, shall
Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi (1975- galvanise India into a nation of disciplined people. Some
77). Till then, we were fairly confident that our defence veterans and Opposition leaders have branded it
civil and political liberties were safe because they as vacuous. Their perception of this innovative scheme is
had been fought for by the freedom struggle and short-sighted. Let us examine if it is indeed a path-
enshrined in the Constitution. No doubt, millions breaking reform.
of Indians were steeped in poverty, ill-health, The philosophy of military training is the national
disease and malnourishment. But we believed in reformatory bedrock to create a disciplined population. It
the basic tenets of liberalism: that social and instils the qualities of character, honesty, integrity,
economic rights follow the right to freedom of punctuality and most importantly, patriotism. For the first
expression, the right to association, the right to four years, training the youth at the age of 17 to 21-23
assemble peacefully and without arms, the right to
the sanctity of life, the right to not be arrested years may be the status quo. But the fifth year onwards,
without due cause, the right to privacy, and above there shall be a large pool of disciplined and trained youth,
all, the right to vote for a democratic government. and each year, the transformed pool shall grow
Comprehensive restrictions imposed on basic exponentially in numbers. By 2047, the centenary year of
freedoms during the Emergency jolted India. We Independence, 7,24,500 disciplined Agniveers (assuming
realised that it is not enough to grant rights. Rights the 75 per cent release theory) would be available. They
have to be constantly reiterated, asserted and can either pursue higher education, opt for vocational
fought for. Otherwise, a state hungry for unlimited studies or join corporates, police/armed constabulary,
power will hijack them. It is significant that the Coast Guard, aviation industry, Assam Rifles, BSF,
ending of the Emergency catapulted a number of Railways, defence public sector units or compete in the
associations in India’s civil society. One of the UPSC examinations.
most important movements that spread rapidly To channelise the energy of the youth at an impressionable
across the country concentrated on the age in military matters or reformatory studies is easier.
indispensability of civil liberties. The movement Four years of military training-cum-service shall further
proliferated, often through divisions in the parent ground these individuals in these studies. And, when the
body. All organisations devoted to the cause
focused on the constitutional right to life and Agniveers are still young, it shall open up to them a
liberty, the right to not be arrested without due plethora of opportunities for higher education, vocational
cause, the right to not be tortured, the right to avenues and assured jobs based on concessions as
bodily integrity and freedom from external guaranteed reservations. nepotism in some walks of life. and from time to time, take inputs from the three Service
impediment.Today, we once again need to retell, My suggestion is that the defence forces should absorb 50 Over the next 60 years, 13.8 lakh youth would be Agniveers, Chiefs and amend or remove pitfalls with the concurrence
re-emphasise, elaborate, justify and launch a per cent and release the balance to the civilian pool. provided the 50 per cent absorption formulae is accepted. of the RM and the PM. In the long run, Agnipath shall
struggle for the reclamation of these rights. The Secondly, the Agnipath scheme should be made an Act This would be a formidable Indian strength of disciplined prove to be a lodestar in nation-building.
cluster of the rights to freedom has not been through legislation in Parliament with the proviso of manpower. I shall term all Agniveers as Dharamveers. In Not too long back, on a flight going to Texas, there were
formally suspended, as during the Emergency. being a pre-qualification for: (i) Entry into IAS/IFS/IPS due course, in every sphere of activity, be it government, many passengers in camouflage overalls — American
Yet, citizens are arbitrarily thrown into prison for and all government and corporate jobs; (ii) candidates for corporate or political, all Indians entering it shall be service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for
a tweet, for social media posts, for mild criticism Assembly and Lok Sabha elections should be Agniveers Dharamveers. Such a patriotic manpower, as the holiday weekend. As the plane gained height, the
of politicians, for a piece published in the as a prerequisite; (iii) the Ministry of Defence is staffed by Dharamveers, shall make India belong to the First World Captain announced on the PA system, “My crew and I feel
newspaper and for lampooning petty power generalists who lack professionalism in matters of league with stronger, modern and younger defence forces.
games. There, they languish without any privileged today to fly our military personnel. We honour
possibility of redress, without hope that the defence. Instead, the Headquarters, Chief of Defence Our Constitution empowers us in many ways, but the your sacrifice and thank you for your service to the
judiciary will, for a change, prove unpredictable Staff (CDS), should be tasked with all professional impactful philosophy and ideology of Agnipath reminds nation.” The aircraft burst into spontaneous and
and take on the executive, and without any functions, be it military or administrative. And assuredly, us of certain rights and responsibilities towards the nation, seemingly endless applause, with passengers standing
expectation that the powerful media will take up the HQ CDS should acquit itself with greater and which Dharamveers shall obey to the hilt. and turning to the soldiers, hands on their hearts, to
their cause, and fight for fellow citizens who have remarkable efficiency and dedication in the best interests Architects and foundation-layers must work in consonance. acknowledge their service. It is hoped the Indians will
been banished to the damp, dark dungeons of of operational theatre commands and the nation; (iv) However, it wasn’t so, to my mind, while planning the also appreciate and emulate such a gesture of goodwill in
India’s infamous prison system for reasons that a Once the MoD stands dispensed with, 45% of the pension Agnipath theme. The Raksha Mantri (RM) and the the years to come, once all Indians qualify as Agniveers,
mature democracy would consider puerile and not bill for civilians in the ministry, currently as part of the National Security Adviser rightfully enunciated the seed, nay, as Dharamveers.
worthy of being taking note of. defence budget, will vanish, thereby resulting in national but all Service Chiefs should have commenced its plot- Many democracies the world over impart military training
Cynics will, of course, ask why corporate houses savings. building bottom upwards: getting inputs from at least five to their entire youth. It is a wise step to discipline
which own the media should bother about people Why has India become a State of violent protests, Army, Air Force and Naval Training Centres each, who impressionable minds and motivate them to be patriotic
condemned to jail even if they have not vandalism, murders, bootlegging and narcotic abuse, impart basic training to recruits for 6-9 months. It is and humane. An appropriate quote for the old mindset is,
committed a crime. That is not the point. The task where some political leaders act as abettors of internecine because Agnipath envisages training only the soldiers, “It is easier to get a new idea in, but the only thing harder
of the capitalist state, famously theorised by caste-religion-based feuds? It is because our population airmen and sailors, and not defence officers. However, it is than getting a new idea into the human mind is getting the
political philosopher Nicos Poulantzas, is to save lacks disciplined minds and nurses selfishness and never too late. The CDS should, over the next eight years
capitalism from the capitalists. Left to old one out.”
themselves, capitalists bleed their own societies
dry. It is the state that staves off revolutions by the
grant of political and civil rights. Wielders of state
power should take note of another famous
political philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, who had
Mann Cabinet expansion
been thrown into jail by Mussolini. Revolutions AAP govt pushes forward governance agenda
do not happen when a society possesses civil WHEN 10 ministers took oath to be a part of promise of taking on the corrupt, sacking its own
society, he wrote. They happen in states that
exercise brute power, a la Tsarist Russia. Bhagwant Mann’s Cabinet on March 19, minister in the process, though it is too early for a
Therefore, the need for rights.There was a time three days after he himself was sworn in as calibrated assessment on the overall impact. The
when we were caught in the trap of Cold War Punjab’s Chief Minister, a sense of rare campaign on freeing land from encroachers has
rhetoric, which divided political and civil rights achievement and can-do spirit ran through gained steam, free power is now operational and
on the one hand and social rights on the other. The the Aam Aadmi Party rank and file. Seven the scheme of mohalla clinics is in the works.
first fell within the provenance of liberal capitalist
democracies and the second within actually berths remained to be filled, but for a ruling The timing can be mere coincidence, but the
existing socialist societies. The end of the cold party brimming with first-time MLAs and induction of five ministers comes after the
war, thankfully, terminated this artificial giant-killers, aspirations seemed easily surprise political developments in Maharashtra,
distinction. A human being is not free if she is manageable. The first Cabinet expansion — which are mired in allegations of horsetrading
hungry. True. But a well-fed individual who is which still leaves three slots vacant — and subjugation of MLAs and the media by the
denied the liberty to follow her muse is also not
free.Freedom lies at the heart of a coherent theory comes after over three months of buying power of the political juggernauts. They
of rights. Equality is a much more difficult governance, but in vastly changed are also a wake-up call to keep the flock together
concept; it is too intellectual. Liberty forms part of circumstances as the government fire-fights and address concerns.
a natural human impulse to break free. The on several fronts and comes to grips with the Filling the ministerial positions reflects the AAP
emergence of freedom in political vocabularies setback of losing the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat leadership’s decision to push forward the
proclaimed a rupture in the biography of the governance agenda. Eight of the ministers in the
political. It signified, according to JS Mill, the that Mann himself won twice. As the
Opposition flags charges of interference in the day-to-day acumen. Cabinet are from Malwa, and only one from Doaba. For
struggle between liberty and authority. The
ideology of freedom rescued people from slavery functioning by the party bosses, keeping the halo shining It’s been a mixed journey so far for the AAP government. the ministers, the majority of them untested and
and serfdom, from subordination to social after the resounding victory in the Assembly elections is a Law and order issues and singer Moosewala’s murder inexperienced, the task ahead promises to be a
hierarchies, from colonialism and from arbitrary relentless, grinding test of the leadership’s astuteness and have been dark spots, but it is actively pursuing its core challenging one.
post-colonial states.
The West Asia pivot

India must persist in its attempt to experiment with policy changes
India must not miss the bus again. The US discussed enhancing their defence Committee meeting was that the US must treat the
is putting in place a coherent strategy for cooperation. A meeting of the India- Middle East as a strategic priority. The underlying
West Asia after the bumbling twists of Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on message for New Delhi is that it must redouble its efforts
the four Donald Trump years and Defence Cooperation was also held to secure its place in the region if it considers the Gulf as
another year of shifting policy under in New Delhi. Meanwhile, Indian its extended neighbourhood.The Negev Forum will have
President Joe Biden. India is not in the Navy ship, Kochi, participated in an working groups, each dealing with health, food and
American scheme of things for the exercise with two ships of the water security, clean energy, education and coexistence,
region and unless New Delhi pulls itself Egyptian navy. Simultaneously, IAF regional security and tourism. India’s challenge is that
up by its bootstraps, its recent gains in and its UAE counterpart took steps almost all these subjects are also the focus of the Western
the Arab world and Israel will gradually to increase their interoperability Quad. India cannot compete with the US in West Asia or
evaporate.When US diplomat Yael through mid-air refuelling of a offer a parallel agenda for the region: America’s
Lampert sat down on June 27 with formation of IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI resources are unmatched, its appeal in Israel and in the
Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, fighter jets which were on their way Arab world is immense, notwithstanding convictions on
Undersecretary for Political Affairs at to Cairo for a tactical leadership the Arab street that Tel Aviv is Washington’s unwavering
the Bahrain foreign ministry, Alon programme at an Egyptian Air Force choice in the area, which the US State Department calls
Ushpiz, Israel foreign ministry’s Weapons School. the Near East.
Director-General, and senior diplomats Taken separately, these may be minor That is why Blinken said at Sde Boker that the Negev
from three other Arab governments, events. But a collective picture Summit will work ‘toward our goal of Palestinians and
they took the first concrete steps to emerges from them, which denotes Israelis enjoying equal measures of freedom, security,
capitalise on ‘normalisation significant changes in the West opportunity, and dignity, and create the conditions for a
agreements’ between Arab states and emblematic acceptance of Israel by major countries of Asian strategic landscape. If Arab negotiated two-state solution.’ The ideas of Trump and
Israel. The Biden administration despises the term the region. countries are turning to India for defence cooperation, it Kushner on the Near East were given a formal burial
‘Abraham Accords’ because the nomenclature was given India is already in a similar, but smaller plurilateral is because they are no longer sure about Washington’s during the creation of the new forum.
by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to the outcome of arrangement with the curious name of ‘I2U2’. Indians commitment to their security interests, which have been India missed the bus when ASEAN was created.
negotiations to normalise ties between Israel and the prefer to call it the Western Quad to be able to relate to the taken for granted for decades by governments in the Subsequent historical evidence has revealed that India
UAE and Bahrain in the twilight months of the Trump other Quad in the Indo-Pacific made up of India, Japan, region. It is not only to India that they are looking as an could have joined ASEAN, but it chose not to. New Delhi
presidency. The Arab countries represented at the June Australia and the US. The Western Quad was an alternative: China figured as a choice in recent years, but had no clue that its members would become Asian
27 meeting have all normalised relations with Israel, but imaginative innovation, and it will not disappear. But successive US administrations have pressured Arab Tigers. India missed the bus when the Asia-Pacific
all the Arab countries which have established ties with when three of its four members — except in India — are governments to jettison major military collaborations Economic Co-operation (APEC) of 21 countries in the
Tel Aviv were not present.The first Negev Forum in another arrangement with more potential and with Beijing with results desired in Washington. Pacific Rim was created 22 years after the founding of
Steering Committee meeting in Manama, capital of prospects, namely the Negev Forum, no astrologers are However, the US remains the first choice for many Arab ASEAN. History was repeated in West Asia, where
Bahrain, was a follow up to the Negev Summit hosted in needed to forecast the outcome.It is not unrealistic that governments as a defence partner. As for Israel, US India’s vision was flawed throughout because it put other
March by Yair Lapid, now the PM of Israel. The summit India can salvage what it has embarked on in West Asia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement on peoples’ interests over its own.It took PM Narasimha
was replete with symbolism because it was held at It can even build on it, but that requires careful policy Lapid’s assumption of prime-ministerial office three Rao’s experience in foreign affairs to dump India’s
Kibbutz Sde Boker, the retirement home of Israel’s first planning, taking into account the region’s complex days ago left no ambiguity about America’s commitment historical West Asian baggage to make a change. But
PM, David Ben-Gurion. With the spirit of the man history. Coinciding with the Negev Forum Steering to the Jewish state. ‘Israel has no better friend than the those changes languished after he left office. The Modi
present, who signed the Jewish state’s Declaration of Committee meeting, India’s Defence Secretary met US and our commitment to Israel’s security remains government is attempting a new experiment in policy
Independence, the summit denoted the ultimate Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Defence, and iron-clad.’ The steady undercurrent at the Steering changes in the region. It must persevere in this effort.
CMYK
2 AHMEDABAD WEDNESDAY 6/7/2022

Editorial
From
Editors 7 indoor exercises to keep you fit during monsoon
Desk Goyal recommends doing a workout
session of 60 minutes a day to help you
stay active and fit during the season.
Garima further shares simple yoga ex-
Trikonasana yoga, also known as Tri-
angle position exercise, is a standing
posture that improves strength, bal-
ance, and flexibility. There are several
other name for Bhujangasana.
Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutations Po-
sition) and Padma Sadhana incorpo-
rate this pose. Do you wish to tone
ercises to help build strength, agility, variants in the trikonasana stages or your stomach but lack the time to
meditation, relaxation, and focus. processes. In general, it is divided into go to the gym? Are you exhausted
Padangusthasana (Big Toe): three types: Baddha Trikonasana, or anxious as a result of an excessive
Padangusthasana is a foundational Parivrtta Trikonasana, and Utthita workload? Bhujangasana, also
asana in Ashtanga Yoga. It is a basic Trikonasana.Utkatasana (Chair Pose): known as Cobra Stretch, is a great
Monsoon has come in time. A standing position that incorporates
forward bending. The asana is classi-
Chair posture, also known as "awk-
ward chair pose" and "fierce stance" in
way to cure these and other issues
while sitting (or lying down) at
wet July and August is what fied as beginning due to its easiness.
Padangusthasana stretches every
Sanskrit, is a form of asana or yoga
practice. Begin in a standing stance
home! Bhujangasana, also known as
the Cobra Pose, is performed while
both producers and consumers New Delhi, July 5 (IANSlife) One of the best times of
year to witness nature's full splendor is during the mon-
muscle in the body from head to toe.
It relaxes the body and soothes dis-
and bend your knees to lower your
body as if you were sitting in an imagi-
laying on your stomach. It stretches
your body (particularly your back)
of food in India need soon. However, monsoons are notorious for their never-
ending spells of sickness and cold. One's immune system
comfort. It is beneficial for flat feet, nary chair. This standing forward bend and rapidly melts your tension away!
The absence of easterly winds is tested though the entire season.
among other things.
Padangusthasana is an excellent place
is part of the Vinyasa or Ashtanga yoga
Sun Salutation routine. Chair posture
Vrikshasana ( Tree Pose):
Vrksasana is a Sanskrit noun that
resulted in much of the South And it doesn't stop there. There is always the possibil-
ity of contracting cholera, dengue fever, or other distress-
to begin your yoga experience.
Trikonasana ( Triangle Pose):
strengthens your legs, upper back, and
shoulders while also improving bal-
combines the terms Vriksha and
Asana. The Sanskrit term for a tree is
Peninsula, Central and Northwest ing ailments. So, how can one enjoy the monsoons as they Trikonasana is derived from the San- ance and flexibility. The chair position Vriksha, whereas the Sanskrit word
India getting localised rain at
should be while being safe and healthy? Good eating hab- skrit terms 'Trikona' (three corners) is a standing yoga practice that works for posture is Asana. As a result, this
its, exercise, and adequate rest are a few factors that can and 'Asana' (posture). In trikonasana the core. This strong stance may help is known in English as Tree Pose.
best. keep you safe during the rainy season.
It doesn't end there. There is always the risk of con-
yoga, the practitioner spreads their you strengthen your legs, back, and Vrikshasana is a standing funda-
After an indifferent June that saw the country re- legs apart without bending their shoulders.Bhujangasana (Cobra Post): mental yoga position. Furthermore,
tracting cholera, dengue fever, or other dreadful diseases. knees, with their hands extended Bhujangasana is derived from the in Hinduism, Sages utilised this
ceive 7.9 per cent below-average rainfall, the southwest So, how can one truly enjoy the monsoons while remain-
monsoon has entered an “active” phase. The timing apart, producing a 90-degree angle words bhujanga (cobra or snake) and stance as a form of austerity or
ing safe and healthy? Yoga and nutrition expert Garima between the upper and lower bodies. asana (position). Cobra Stretch is an- Tapasya.
couldn’t be better, when it’s peak season for sowing
kharif crops. The monsoon had set in over Kerala on
May 29, three days before its normal onset date. But
the rains were irregular. Twenty-four out of the
country’s 36 meteorological subdivisions recorded 90
per cent or less of their normal precipitation for June.
Metro Rail likely to change Agra's profile

The absence of easterly winds resulted in much of the
South Peninsula, Central and Northwest India getting
localised rain at best. On the other hand, winds blow-
ing from the southwest took the monsoon clouds to
the Northeast, causing floods and landslides in Assam, By Brij Khandelwal Half of the construction work of D- construction of Agra Fort Metro Sta- cal College, Agra College, Raja
Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and north Ben- wall has been completed in Agra Fort tion." Ki Mandi and RBS College.
gal. Not surprisingly, the total kharif planted area till Agra, July 5 (IANS) The decadent Mughal me- Metro Station. Out of a total of 66 D- The D-wall work for crossover at Officials said the under-
June 24 was almost 24 per cent lower compared to that tropolis, Agra is anxiously waiting for the comple- wall structures 33 have been com- Jama Masjid Metro Station is also likely ground stations of Agra Metro
during the corresponding period of last year. tion of the ambitious nearly 30 km long network pleted already. Also, 100 per cent of to commence very soon. The Under- will be prepared with the Top-
A dry June needn’t spell disaster though. June 2019 of Metro rail, which is set to change Taj city's pro- guide wall work has already been ground (UG) Section of Agra Metro's Down Method, i.e., construc-
and June 2016 registered 32 per cent and 9.8 per cent file and accelerate the pace of socioeconomic de- completed by the team. Corridor-I is marked between Taj tion work will be done from
rainfall deficiency, respectively — worse than this velopment. Work on the Metro project has picked Acting MD UP Metro Sushil Kumar Mahal Metro Station to top to bottom. This system is
time’s. Yet, both turned out to be good monsoon and up momentum and the promoters are confident said, "Agra Metro Project is being car- RBS College Metro Sta- being adopted to minimise
bumper crop years. What really matters are the July and that the world class facility would be operational ried out at a very fast pace. Our tion. UG Metro Stations the impact on traffic as the
August rains, coinciding with the sowing and vegeta- much before the 2024 team's sustained efforts have are Being Constructed barricading on the road will
tive growth stages of the kharif crop. The signs of that
first corridor will
Lok Sabha elections. h e l p e d us in meeting all the With Top-Down be reduced after the construc-
seem encouraging for now. Rainfall in the current Under the Agra t a r - gets Method. tion of the first floor starting
month has been 27.9 per cent surplus so far, reducing
the all-India cumulative deficit since June 1 to just 3.4 be built between corridorsProject,
Metro two
will be con-
and from the road level. The con-
struction work of the station
per cent. The late pick-up has also brought down the
progressive kharif acreage gap over last year to 5.3 per
Sikandra to Taj structed. The first cor- below the road will continue
cent. The formation of a low pressure area over north East Gate and ridor will be built be-
tween Sikandra to Taj
and the movement of vehicles
on the road will also continue
Odisha and strong westerly winds from the Arabian Sea
should help sustain the current “active” monsoon con- the second East Gate and the sec-
ond corridor from
without disruptions.
Presently, work is going
ditions. Water levels in major reservoirs being 18.2 per
cent higher than their last 10 years’ average for this time
corridor from Agra Cantt to Kalindi full steam on the stretch from
is an added source of comfort. Agra Cantt to Vihar.Under the first the Taj Easter gate to Purani
Mandi crossing via Fatehabad
Going forward, a cause for concern is the so-called
Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Many global weather mod- Kalindi Vihar. corridor, a section of
about six km be-
road which is the hub of tour-
ism in Agra.
els suggest a“strong negative” IOD — wherein the east- tween Taj East Gate to However, there are some
ern Indian Ocean waters off Indonesia and Australia Jama Masjid is coming up fast. Currently, the civil voices in the city who ques-
turn unusually warm relative to the western part, in- construction of a three km long elevated corridor tion the feasibility of the Rs
creasing rainfall activity there at the expense of the is being carried out between Taj East Gate to Basai 10,000 crore project in view of
subcontinent — developing by August. That can im- along with the Metro Train Depot on the PAC In all, the dying river Yamuna and
pact the monsoon’s performance in the second half ground. The first corridor should begin operations Seven Metro Sta- withered city roads. But the
(August-September) of the season. IOD’s effects should, by 2022 end. Keeping up the pace of project ex- tions are to be built in the ten MLAs and three MPs of the
hopefully, be offset by the prevalence of La Niña con- ecution, Agra Metro team has achieved another deadlines ahead of time. The comple- Underground Section for the first cor- ruling BJP are upbeat. They
ditions (an abnormal cooling of the eastern Pacific milestone in a record time. tion of guide wall and D Wall work in ridor of Agra Metro Rail Project, viz Taj think the Metro will prove to
waters, generally favourable for the Indian monsoon). time has paved the way for the fast Mahal, Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Medi- be a game changer.
Wet July and August is what both producers and con-
sumers of food in India need.
Terrorism on its last legs in J&K;

Reasi villagers send clear message to Pak, terrorists
region. He has realized that efforts are (VDGs) in frontier areas of Jammu re- blow to terror bosses and terrorist legs and the 32-year old insurgency is
on to revive terrorism in J&K but the gion to fight the ultras. The MHA had handlers sitting across the Line of Con- about to end.
common man seems determined not written to the J&K Chief Secretary in- trol. The terrorists now have to face Besides losing the support of lo-
to let the region relapse into the dark forming about the revised scheme of armed civilians who would remain cals, the shelf life of the youth joining
era of the past few decades where in- VDGs.The letter written by the MHA present in every village to protect their terror outfits has declined.
nocents were killed in the name of re- stated that in more vulnerable areas, people. From January 1 to May 31 this year
ligion or after being labelled as persons leading the VDGs would be The Village Defence Committees of the new terror recruits only 26.6 per
informers.People have now taken it paid of Rs 4,500 per month and other were first formed in 1990 in the fron- cent survived for more than 12
upon themselves to nab the terrorists members of these groups on volun- tier districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, months, while the fate of 9.3 per cent
and Tuksan village has set an example. tary basis will be paid Rs 4,000 per Kishtwar and Reasi after the Pakistan- of them was not known. Nearly 28.1
Srinagar, July 5 (IANS) Residents of The brave hearts, who captured the month, and the VDGs will function in sponsored insurgency broke out in per cent terror recruits were killed
ture them has once again proven that two terrorists armed till teeth, were not the district under the directions of the J&K and terrorists after intruding into within one month, 54.7 per cent within
Tuksan Dhok village in Jammu and people are now against the Pakistan- the members of Village Defence Com- concerned Superintendents of Police. these areas started killing civilians, six months and 59.4 per cent within
Kashmir's Reasi district exhibited ex- sponsored terrorism and such brave mittees or any other group. They were After the MHA had ordered the re- which led to people migrating from nine months. In the first five months
emplary courage by overpowering acts are the result of it. common people who exhibited unpar- vival of the erstwhile Village Defence their native villages. of this year 70 to 75 youths joined vari-
and capturing two most wanted After August 5, 2019 -- when the alleled courage and power to catch the Committees as Village Defence However, VDCs were weakened by ous terror groups in Kashmir. From
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists. They Centre announced its decision to ab- ultras. Had these terrorists not been Groups (VDGs) at that point of time the successive political regimes to ap- January 1 to May end this year 59 ter-
also snatched their weapons and rogate J&K's special status and bifur- caught they could have unleashed ter- many people had termed the move as pease the separatists and Pakistan. Af- rorists were killed by security forces in
handed them over to the security cate the erstwhile state into two union ror by killing innocents on the direc- the "last nail in the coffin" of the 32- ter 2015, the government led by South Kashmir. Out of the total 90 ter-
forces. territories -- the Himalayan region has tions of their bosses sitting across the year-long Pakistan-sponsored insur- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rorists killed in the Valley between
The dare devil act of the villagers witnessed unprecedented develop- Line of Control. gency in J&K. stopped the stipend of the VDC mem- January and May, 26 were Pakistani
prompted J&K Lieutenant Governor, ment. People are reaping the divi- The act of villagers has shown the Residents of Tuksan by taking the bers and slowly disarmed these com- nationals. Forty five terrorists were
Manoj Sinha, to announce Rs 5 lakh dends of peace and they don't want determination of the common people armed terrorists head on have shown mittees on the pretext that these were arrested along with huge cache of
reward for the denizens of Tuksan the terrorists to disrupt their normal to pull J&K out of the quagmire of un- that with or without weapons they are not needed. arms and ammunition. Security forces
Dhok village.The J&K Police identified lives again. certainty. They have sent a clear mes- ready to fight the ultras, and they Terrorism on its last legs have developed a strong intelligence
the two captured terrorists as Talib The terrorist handlers sitting in Pa- sage to Pakistan sponsored terrorists won't allow them to kill the innocents. The brave act of the Tuksan villag- network on the ground and it's the
Hussain Shah from Draj village in kistan have been left high and dry due that they are no more welcome in At present security forces are pro- ers is an indication that no one wants common man who is providing all the
Rajouri and Faizal Ahmed Dar of to J&K becoming peaceful and people Jammu and Kashmir, and they won't viding arms training to the local vol- to support terrorism in Jammu and inputs to carry out the successful anti-
Pulwama in South Kashmir. Two AK-47 turning their backs towards the ultras allow the ultras to succeed in their ne- unteers.The VDGs have already started Kashmir. The Tuksan brave hearts have terror operations in J&K. Terrorists,
rifles, seven grenades, a pistol, and a sponsored by them. farious designs. maintaining vigil in some areas and in become an inspiration for every citi- separatists and the hate preachers are
large quantity of arms and ammuni- A common man in Jammu and Revival of VDGs coming days these groups will be- zen of the Himalayan region. The ter- losing ground as the people of the Hi-
tion were seized from them. Kashmir has understood that Pakistan In March this year the Ministry of come active in the remaining places. rorists have lost support in both malayan region want to be left alone
Natives acting tough against ultras and the terrorists sent by it are not his Home Affairs (MHA) had ordered the Preparing local populace to tackle Jammu and Kashmir regions. The Pa- so that they can live in peace and pros-
and putting their lives at risk to cap- friends as they want to destabilize the formation of Village Defence Groups the terrorists has served as a deadly kistan sponsored terrorism is on its last per.
Misery in UP's Unnao: Quenching thirst with contaminated water

By Sumit Yadav them. No matter how healthy a buffalo years ago. Another Gudsar resident venation had jointly filed an affidavit now seeped deep into the groundwa- one drop of water."
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, July 5 (IANS/ is, the water in our village will just make Ram Prakash Verma echoes this claim. before NGT. The affidavit highlighted ter," he says. Village pradhan Amresh Kumar,
101Reporters) "The water in our village them sick and weak. If an animal won't "Once this canal came up, things the arsenic affecting a population of Yogendra Kumar, another resident too, spoke about the RO plant: "Since
is just poison. We can't even cook our drink water properly, how is it sup- changed. Earlier, the groundwater 1.3 crores in Uttar Pradesh. of Gudsar, shows this reporter a plas- it was a plant set up by the Uttar
food using this water, forget drinking posed to stay healthy?" level wasn't this bad either." The 58-year-old, who owns tic box. Pradesh government, the panchayat
it," says an exasperated Munni Devi, as Sitting next to her, Anita Devi says As per a report of the State Water roughly 2.5 acres of land, says farming "Because of the water here, the box had no funds for it."
she herds her buffaloes by a canal in the water in their village barely ever had become increas- has turned red. You can only imagine In rural areas, the India-Mark hand
her village. quenches thirst. ingly difficult because of what the water could do to the human pumps are supposed to be rebored.
Around 70km from Lucknow, in "When we go outside the village the water quality, which body," says the 24-year-old, adding "But no such repair or reboring work
Unnao district's Sikanderpur Karan somewhere, we drink lots of water be- had deteriorated prima- that there's a good possibility that at has been done on the hand pumps,"
block, is the village of Gudsar. Residents cause the water here just feels light," rily due to fluoride and least one or two members of each says Amresh Kumar, adding that he
here, like 48-year-old Munni Devi, are she says. arsenic contamination. family in the village of 400 has some was given charge of the village only re-
simply frustrated ? frustrated that the Sitting in the veranda of his house, Arsenic gets entry form of stone disease. "The pollution cently.
lack of a basic necessity like drinking 62-year-old Dayaram Lodhi echoes into the food chain in the water here has only increased For daily drinking purposes, resi-
water can make their lives this miser- their sentiments. through the use of pol- the occurrence of diseases among dents of Gudsar rely on the hand
able. "The water never used to be like lutant-contaminated residents. Most people just stay sick pumps, which give out highly con-
Harrowed residents resigned to this," Lodhi tells 101Reporters. "The water for irrigation, and after falling ill." taminated water. But villagers now say
fate water started getting contaminated this plays a major role in Non-functional hand pumps, inac- they are getting used to it.
"We are poor people. We cannot after the canal came up next to our vil- deciding the agricul- tive govt "Who can afford to get tanker wa-
afford to buy water. Whenever we have lage." tural income of this vil- Criticising the inaction by authori- ter every day? One can arrange for
relatives coming over, we have to go Picking up a bottle of water, Lodhi lage. ties with regard to tackling this water tankers for weddings and other func-
fetch water from 2km away. Because of adds, "What you see now is crystal clear "The wheat har- crisis, Kumar says: "Whenever we com- tions, but for daily use, hand pumps are
the smelly, polluted and rotten water water. Wait for a while, and this water vested last year was plained to any authority, we only re- all we have," says a villager.
in our village, relatives have almost turns completely yellow. It's so pol- Resources Agency, in Uttar Pradesh, a completely ruined. The level of chemi- ceived false promises. There are Uncontrolled fluoride, arsenic
stopped visiting us," says Munni Devi, luted that even a metal bucket gets total of 28 districts had a problem of cals in the canal water is so high that around 15 high-quality hand pumps contaminationDr Alok Pandey, the
who lives with her family of eight ? completely ruined." arsenic contamination in groundwa- any form of vegetation simply dies. in the village, but none of them work. physician at the Unnao district hospi-
three sons and three daughters, and Lodhi, who has 15 members in his ter, including Unnao. In March, 2019, Not only is the quality of wheat and The water drawn from traditional hand tal, told 101Reporters, that the level of
husband Ram Lal who works as a family who consume around 50 to 60 Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanita- rice poor, the yield is also below aver- pumps is simply awful. The RO plant fluoride in water must not exceed
labourer.Pointing at her buffaloes sit- litres of water a day, says the quality of tion and Ministry of Water Resources, age. We are forced to sell the harvest set up here three years ago worked for 1.5mg/litre, while that of arsenic
ting in the water, she says, "Look at water started turning bad around 20 River Development and Ganga Reju- at low prices. The contamination has first six months and then didn't give shouldn't exceed 0.05mg/litre.
CMYK
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HYDERABAD
8 EDIT INDORE / BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | JULY 6, 2022
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If having a soul means being able to
feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off
than a lot of humans.
– James Herriot
FREE PRESS
FOR FREE FLOW OF TRUTH
Is FPI holding our markets hostage? in better price discovery, and it bate over whether FDI or FPI is play. The BharatPe promoter get- and rising interest rates in the
Rational will bring international best superior was settled long ago ting ousted by venture capitalists US. Significantly, the share of re-
Shinde needs to
practices in our corporate gover- with a resounding vote in favour from the company he founded tail high net-worth investors and
Analysis nance.
Satyam happened in 2008 and
of the former. FPI merely makes
the capital market more frenzied,
should check the notion that
start-ups can be an easy get-rich-
domestic institutional investors
(DIIs) as a whole reached an all-
perform or perish
was followed by the IL&FS and whereas FDI brings in state-of- quick scheme. time high of 23.34 per cent as on
� S Murlidharan Yes Bank scams. Satyam was in- the-art technology, greater em- FPI has also opened opportuni- March 31, 2022, well above the FPI
deed the most audacious – its pro- ployment opportunities, world- ties for money-laundering, with (foreign portfolio investors) share
moter Ramalinga Raju’s mea cul- class products for Indians, and black money stashed away abroad of 20.15 per cent.
I
n June 2022, Foreign Portfolio pa, that he got fixed deposit re- greater tax collections for the in tax havens (with banking se- It is one thing for desi institu-
T
he Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra Investors (FPI) pulled out Rs ceipts forged to inflate sales and government from the heightened crecy laws thrown in) being tional investors to give stiff com-
has won two trials of strength. It should be said 46,000 crore from the Indian profits, gives lie to the claim that economic activity, to enumerate a brought back to India through the petition to foreign investors, but
to the credit of both the chief minister and his bourses, totting up an aggregate the advent of FPI would disci- few advantages. The clincher is FPI route – more particularly its altogether another to institute
deputy Devendra Fadnavis that they won the tests in a net outflow of Rs 2.13 lakh crore pline our marauding and bucca- serious and permanent capital in- opaque subset Participatory checks and balances to put paid to
commendable way. The Opposition Shiv Sena, the Na- in the first six months of 2022. neering businessmen. IL&FS is a fusion. Alas, if only we could per- Notes (PN) – without let or hin- the notion that India is a revolv-
tionalist Congress Party and the Indian National Con- Blame it on the Ukraine war or case study on how to loot and ing door for footloose foreign cap-
gress also played ball so much so that nobody is in the Federal Reserve resolve to
rein in inflation by sharply hik-
plunder through a maze of asso-
ciate companies, and Yes Bank on
The debate over whether FDI or FPI are superior ital. It is time policy wonks got
into a huddle and thought
doubt about the majority support the new government
enjoys. The election to the Speaker’s post held last week ing interest rates in the US that the fence eating the crop. Of was settled long ago with a resounding vote in through the entire FPI indul-
exposed the political game that had been played for have been soft in the last three course, it cannot be denied that gence dispassionately. We pamper
nearly one-and-a-half years. It was his bias against the decades – but the truth is that the Indian companies seeking to mo- favour of the former. them with a soft 10% capital gains
Maha Vikas Aghadi government which was in evi- Indian stock market and forex bilise equity in hard currencies tax on long term capital gains
dence when he did not allow election of a new Speaker. market have been held hostage by from abroad through Global De- from the Indian bourses. Of
When Shinde wanted the election in the normal man- the FPI ever since they were al- pository Receipts (GDR) were suade Tesla to produce its electric drance. This process is called course, even Indian residents and
ner, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari did not raise any lowed to trade on the Indian constrained to recast their ac- vehicles in India. China as usual round-tripping, a pernicious domestic institutional investors
objection at all. It is a pity that Constitutional authori- bourses. Sensex and forex counts under more exacting US stole the thunder from us much practice that not only mocks at are similarly pampered, but there
ties like the governor act like the handmaidens of those (colourfully if loosely used for accounting standards, but that earlier. Tesla now wants to do our laws with Indian crooks has to be a mechanism to make
in power. Be that as it may, Shinde has proved that he INR-dollar exchange rate) go up has nothing to do with FPI. The what every MNC wants to do – use smirking as they subvert them, them stay put and not rock the
when FPI infuses funds into In- point is, the claim that FPI has its existing capacities to the hilt. but also facilitates insider trad- stock and currency markets
has been able to win the confidence of a majority of the
dia, and vice versa. had a chastening effect on sharp It wants to export from its US and ing and props up the shares of the with their untrammelled entry
Shiv Sena MLAs. In retrospect, he was not boastful but
In 1992 when the Narasimha accounting practices is pure hog- Chinese facilities to India. Let us companies promoted by the and exit. The author hopes that
was merely stating the obvious. Former chief minister
Rao government with Dr Manmo- wash. face it, FDI bankrolls economic crooks whose shares are traded in he has kickstarted the process
Uddhav Thackeray should introspect on how and why han Singh as the finance minister Forex getting beefed up is also activity; FPI bankrolls specula- NSE and BSE. of intense, intensive and dispas-
his MLAs ditched him. To blame the BJP for his failure allowed FPI for the first time, it not true. FPI money is hot. It can tive activity. Against this grim backdrop, the sionate debate on this sensitive
will not take him anywhere. The fall in the Opposition was hailed by free market enthu- come and go through the revolv- Venture capitalists of foreign news that domestic portfolio in- issue.
votes on the trust motion should bother the MVA lead- siasts as a pathbreaking measure. ing door. India has chosen not to vintage endowed with deep pock- vestors are digging in is hearten-
ers. It is difficult to believe that so many Opposition Some of the expectations were: It leash such footloose tendencies ets were gung-ho about our starting. They are tightening their (The author is a freelance columnist
MLAs could not reach the House in time and vote will bring the much-needed for- with a deterrent tax – breach of ups but lately have started tight- grip on listed companies at a time for various publications and writes on
against the government. There is more than meets the eign exchange, it will broaden minimum lock-in period would ening their belts, suspecting ex- when FPI are pruning their hold- economics, business, legal, and
eye in the turn of events. Anyway, everything will be and deepen our bourses resulting attract a tax of, say, 10%. The de- aggerated valuations and foul ings due to global uncertainty taxation issues.)
clear in a few days. What is certain is that the Shinde
Assam floods: Negligence towards the North-East

government is now comfortably placed to continue for
the remaining period of the Assembly. The Thackeray
group is hardly in a position to take on Shinde.
Having ensured that their government is safe,
Shinde and Fadnavis should take the next step of fill-
ing ministerial posts. A full-fledged Cabinet with ade-
quate representation for all regions, classes and ments is not only a flawed policy river as well. The Brahmaputra, repeatedly failing and is forced to increasing threat from climate
Here, There,
groups is the need of the hour. Shinde’s game seems to to control floods but also an act of the main river that crisscrosses maintain the status quo. When a change. The flood of water enter-
be to win the support of all the Shiv Sena MLAs who giving a free hand to corruption. the floodplains, traverses Assam flood happens the authorities take ing the Brahmaputra from the
Everywhere
are still with Thackeray. In the ideal scenario, he gets There is a political economy be- for a length of roughly 650 km some emergency steps and wait for north bank has increased due to
the support of 50-plus Shiv Sena legislators. In that hind the construction of embank- and an average width of 5.46 km. things to get better. Here the most the excessive melting of the Hi-
case, he can claim that he is indeed the Shiv Sena boss. ments, and no political party The river is nearly 5,000 metres important thing is immediate in- malayan glaciers, which also
And with the support of the administration, he can �Sayantan Ghosh when in power has tried to go be- above sea level when it leaves the tervention and serious policy-mak- brings additional silt with it. On
claim to be Bal Thackeray's real successor. Such an yond this method. Recently an Kailash range, and becomes ing on the part of the central gov- the other hand, Bangladesh's flat-
image will help him face the municipal elections in embankment was breached again heavily sedimented when it ernment. Without the support of ter geography makes it particu-
R
Mumbai. Everyone knows that if he wins the Mumbai esidents of Assam have during this flood. It had recon- reaches Assam. The sedimenta- the central government, the flood larly vulnerable to cyclones from
civic election in partnership with the BJP, it would been coping with flood dev- structed after getting damaged tion rises in the summer when situation in Assam and North-East the Bay of Bengal, which are
make the existence of the Thackeray group almost un- astation of the floods. In 26 during the floods in the month of soil erodes from glacier melt. The India will not be able to be man- made stronger by climate change
districts, flood damage is still May. Exports from Assam have re- high amount of sedimentation of aged. and an increase in flooding inci-
tenable. Shinde made a statement that when the MVA
present. In the state, 1,600 villages peatedly observed that the com- the Brahmaputra has been men- For example, the central gov- dents. Meanwhile, research has
government was formed, neither the NCP nor the Con-
have been entirely inundated by panies get the contracts for these tioned in numerous study stud- ernment presented data to an- revealed that rising global tem-
gress had any objection to him becoming the chief
flood waters. The number of fa- embankments and make a profit ies; this may cause the river to swer questions raised by an MP peratures have been gradually af-
minister. The manoeuvring against him came from talities has now reached 179. Ap- from these repeated distractions. rise in level and impair its capac- in the winter session of the Lok fecting the monsoon pattern in
the Shiv Sena. Of course he was blaming Thackeray proximately 14 lakh people in 22 According to the Assam State Dis- ity to carry water. This issue has Sabha 2021 and observed that the India, and the more frequent mar-
for denying him an opportunity. There is no doubt that districts are still struggling as a aster Management Flood Report been in front of the governments central government has not re- itime heatwaves could magnify
he has proved capable of holding the post, and it is en- result of the flood. Over 40,000 in June, this year around 297 em- alterations to the seasonal rains
tirely on his own steam that he has come to power. It
is one thing to advertise his Hindutva and quite an-
hectares of agricultural land in bankments in 20 Assam districts It is time for India to have a pragmatic and that are relied upon by at least
14 districts is also impacted, in have been breached overall, in- one billion people.
other to practise it. addition to the human casualties. cluding 33 in Darrang alone. proactive flood management policy. The central It is time for India to have a
One of the achievements of the Thackeray govern-
ment was that it did not allow the hardliners in the par-
This horror story is nothing new Rivers break these barriers government and the states should come pragmatic and proactive flood
and what is worse, happens every every year in the floods that occur management policy. The re-
ty or outside of it to take the law into their own hands year. It's important to get one after the monsoon, inundating together to form these policies. In India, the searchers of IIT Bombay have
in the name of any ideology. Peace and public opinion
are greater than the pursuit of any ideology. As some-
thing straight: flooding in Assam
is a case of policy collapse. And
homes and other buildings. Over
the past 60 years, Assam's succes-
policy-making has always been Delhi-centric and opined that the flood manage-
ment policy of India should shift
one who has come up from the ranks and knows the the main reason behind this poli- sive governments have invested that is why Northeast India gets ignored year from “passive” to “progressive”.
problems of the common man, Shinde does not have to
be told what the people expect from him. While he
cy failure is the criminal negli-
gence of successive central gov-
close to Rs 30,000 crore in the con-
struction of embankments. These
after year. Secondly, the central government
and the states should come to-
wants to use the Cabinet posts to lure some more ernments, irrespective of party barriers are ineffectual, as shown gether to form these policies. In
MLAs, the real challenge is to bring administration lines, towards the North-Eastern by the numerous reports of dev- for a long time and the leased funds under NDRF to As- India, the policy-making has al-
back on track. For one reason or another, the govern- states of India. astation each year. The flood situ- experts have noted that regular sam during 2018-2021. However, ways been Delhi-centric and that
ment has not been functioning satisfactorily, the Gov- Unfortunately, for more than 60 ation has been further worsened removal of sedimentation will the government released around is why Northeast India gets ig-
ernor-CM feud being one of the reasons. As Shinde years, both the central and state by additional man-made elements not help to control the problem. Rs.44.37 crores for restoration nored year after year. It is high
himself complained, the former finance minister was governments have failed to find ef- such as deforestation, hill cut- However, the government has not work during 2020–2021. Here the time to course correct policy-
not being fair to other party MLAs. And ever since fective solutions to lessen the dam- ting, encroachments, and damage come up with any pragmatic so- question is not why the govern- making regarding floods and sin-
Shinde revolted against Thackeray, administration has age done by the rampaging flood- to wetlands. Embankments lutions. ment did not release funds or any cerely focus on tackling the issue
come to a standstill. There have been many incidents waters. To control floods, the state caused the banks of rivers to en- The flood in Assam and Northeast other whatabouteries, but to ob- of floods in this region.
showing the government, especially the police, in a has mostly used embankments. croach upon them as more people India is not something which can serve that this shows negligence
poor light. The public perception is that corruption has Early in the 1950s, when the hy- built homes and established busi- be tackled at the state level. To tack- towards the issue, the residents (The author is an independent journalist
not been on the wane. In other words, a lot needs to be drology of most Indian rivers, in- nesses there. le such a massive natural calamity and the entire region. and columnist based in Kolkata and a
done to regain the image of the state as a forward-look- cluding the Brahmaputra, was not The way embankments have the state governments need not just Similarly, it is also important to former policy research fellow at the
well understood, Assam used this failed miserably as a policy, the immense financial power, but also understand that the reasons for Delhi Assembly Research Center. Views
ing bastion of enterprise and entrepreneurship. Other
flood control strategy. government has ignored the sedi- manpower. With the limited capaci- floods are not limited to the fail- expressed are personal. He tweets at
states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have stolen a march
The construction of embank- mentation of the Brahmaputra ty of both, the state government is ure of policy-making. There is an @sayantan_gh.)
over Maharashtra. The state needs to be put back on the
rails of development so that the problems of unem-
ployment can be minimised. All this does not leave
Shinde and Fadnavis with the luxury of time. Now, Skanda, the son Feeling this as an opportunity, the demon Taraka
asks for the boon of “getting killed only by the son of
they need to begin their job in right earnest.
of Shiva Shiva”. He knew well that Shiva is son-less so far and
now wife-less too! This he thought was the best he
COUNTDOWN TO 75 YEARS — Dr S Ainavolu could bargain against the “no death” boon for which
FPJ Archives Brahma did not accede. Taraka’s calculation was
OF INDEPENDENCE
S
kanda is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Shiva straight, Shiva becoming meditating monk means
JULY 9, 1947 was initially married to Sati, the daughter of no sons in the future, and there is no son now; so no
Daksha Prajapati. Upon knowing about the death for all practical purposes.
conduct of a homa/havan by her father, Sati wanted The departed Sati gets re-born as Parvati, the daugh-
to visit her maternal home. But there was no invite. ter of Himavanta, the Himalaya’s king. She turns
Shiva offers the same reason for not going. How- “Aparna”, not eating even leaves for the sake of Shi-
ever, Sati quotes that to the home of one’s Guru, va. They marry when Shiva agrees. “Kumara”
one’s parents, and Raja one may go without was born and became the “Senani” (comman-
any invite. Shiva yields and sends her with his der) for Indra’s army. He successfully freed
parivara. the world from the menace of Taraka, who
Material status-conscious Daksha doesn’t died as per his wish.
reciprocate the simplicity of the first cou- Skanda is the presiding lord of Mangala
ple and ignores his daughter’s ar- graha. Mangala denotes energy
rival. Confronted with the situa-
tion when Daksha abused Shiva in
GUIDING LIGHT and also controls marital happen-
ings. Skanda gives sharpness to the
presence of everybody, ignoring mind. Skanda is the wisdom per-
the jnana bhandara that Shiva was, and the magna- sonified. He is also called “Swaminatha”, meaning
nimity Shiva displays, Sati ends her physical form. Guru of Shiva as he once gave Pranava (Aum) upade-
This results in a destruction act by Veerabhadra, the sha to Shiva himself. Typically the sixth tithi, called
protégé of Shiva. In the act that followed, Daksha Shashti, and Tuesdays are associated with revered
was beheaded. Later he was made to resurrect with Skanda/Kumara/Senani.
a goat’s head. A lesson was learned. But Sati-less Shi- (Dr. S. Ainavolu is a professor at VPSoM, Navi Mumbai.
va chooses to perform deep meditation and goes out Views are personal. You can read more articles at
of the bounds of the mundane world. https://www.ainavolu.in/blog.)
(Spiritual organisations keen to be featured in this space contact : features@fpj.co.in)
One flew over the nest #MumbaiRains TUESDAY'S SWIPE

Heavy rainfall in shorter span & then severe water logging across Mumbai. Floods,
landslides, heatwaves, rising sea levels. In Monsoons & summers this city becomes
inhabitable. At a time when govt is supposed to protect &grow more forests, they're
doing the opposite
Tanmay V.S. @tanmay_shinde99
LET PAKISTAN BEWARE We are in that season when Mumbai residents will get a reminder on the quality of city
Retaliation If Minorities Are Ill-Treated planning by the British vs the lack of quality by Indian administrators.
Vishal Bhargava @VishalBhargava5
PATIL WARNS THE LEAGUE: CONGRESS READY TO ACT
If you want to see devotion, come to #Mumbailocal. A hope of reaching office dry, and
BOMBAY, JULY 8. Mr. S. K. Patil, President of the Bombay Provincial optimism of reaching home later tonight.
Congress Committee, speaking at a mammoth gathering of the Bombay Dr. Abhijit Jadhav @drapjadhav
Sindhis, warned the Muslim League that, if even a drop of blood of the
Non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan was shed, the Congress would mete out Chai and pakoda time !
Naved Jafri @NavedJafri_BOO
cent-per-cent retaliation.
"We are only waiting for the Zero hour - August 15 - when you may very Rich people are enjoying #MumbaiRains while poor ones are busy in removing water
well expect a statement of strategy from the Congress showing to what from their house. Let's pray about the safety of ones who live at chawl or old buildings.
great lengths it would go in protecting the rights and liberties of the non- byehoe_baeno @byehoe_baeno
Muslim minorities in Pakistan," Mr. Patil said.
6 EDIT HYDERABAD WEDNESDAY 6 JULY 2022
LETTERS
It’s time startups make profits top priority Test cricket won at Edgbaston
S tartup ecosystem across the
world is going through a tur-
moil. From a funding winter to hir-
vestors committed money over
Whatsapp chat and wrote cheques
without even interacting with
valued startup in India. Interest-
ingly, the edtech giant acquired 10
entities last year at a combined in-
the age-old wisdom on business
practices. Any commercial activity
without profitability is not worth
tations and reality. For instance,
edtech companies raised billions
of dollars during the pandemic, T HE apt description
on the result of 5th
ing freeze and even laying off em- founders in the last two years, such vestment of $2.5 billion. Other pursuing. Startups which chase pitching to investors that students cricket test between India
ployees, once touted as the new out-of-sync optimism is reflection companies including Unacademy, market share through burning would only learn through digital and England where for-
engines of growth are witnessing of a toxic and unsustainable envi- Vedantu, FrontRow, Udayy, Lido cash are realising it the hard way. platforms. But as things normalise, tunes fluctuated day-by-
headwinds. Many industry watch- ronment. Current events such as Learning and others had fired em- erefore, Indian startups have to schools reopen; parents are more day is "Victory to Test
ers see it as the first such slowdown firing of employees, low funding ployees in the last six months. make profitability the key objective keen to send their children to Cricket". Both teams
among startups since the days of prospects and closing down of Funding tap is also slowly drying before market share. Secondly, schools and physical classes than played like champions
global financial crisis in 2008-09. some startups are indication of this up. Venture capital funding into many experts have expressed their making them sit before the laptop. and brought interest and
Since then, these new age compa- unsustainability. Indian startups dropped by 37 per doubt about astronomical valua- So, the projections were based on life into test cricket
nies have grown in both size and Till now, India has seen around cent in April-June period of this tion of startups. It seems the fund- fictious estimates, holding no wa- matches. Watching this
shape through consistent infusion 12,000 staffers of startups losing year to $6.9 billion as compared to ing rounds are beyond the under- ter. erefore, Indian startups have match was like watching a suspense thriller.
of risk capital by PE and VC funds. their jobs in the last six months. last year. Such slowdown shows standing of most finance to be realistic in their expectations Joe was the root cause but Bairstow’s repeat century was a beauty. e
Valuations have soared across the Last week, India’s biggest startup that the fear of a funding winter is professionals. Moreover, many and fund houses have to under- pair repeated the earlier majestic batting acts of Pant and Jadeja. England
board as the world becomes famil- in terms of valuation Byju’s laid off real. As the world is anticipating a startups have painted a very rosy stand the ground reality to make won the fih match on paper but skill wise India did not lose it. Vagaries
iar with terms such as unicorn and 600 staffers- 300 from its Toppr recession in the US economy to- picture with regard to market op- the whole ecosystem sustainable. of cricket or any game cannot be predicted. Jasprit's world record 29 runs
decacorn among others. However, learning platform & another 300 wards the end of 2022, such sce- portunity and how their compa- Otherwise, startups will not be able in just one over is one such instance. Full marks to both the teams for
excess exuberance seen in any sec- at coding platform WhiteHat Jr. nario may further aggravate in nies will be able to grab them to to attract right talent as people will playing excellently in all departments and drawing the series 2-2. Twenty
tor is always a red flag to watch out Currently, Byju’s valuation stands coming months. Against this back- fund houses. However, there is a shun these new age companies as two players marvelled in a friendly display of adroit skill show but never
for. When individual angel in- at $22 billion, making it the most- drop, it is worth pondering over critical mismatch between expec- unstable entities. looked like blood thirsty rivals. at is second victory to cricket and first
lesson to the warring world.
Sahasra Nivriti Vislesha, Secunderabad
A vulgar show of one-upmanship Modi’s outreach to Muslims welcome

I t has come as a pleasant surprise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has exhorted the party cadre to reach out to ‘deprived, non-elite’ Mus-
lims. is is because he is not exactly known for his pro-minority or pro-
F
MOOT POINT ormer Union starting an indecent political war in the run- Muslim utterances. His persona is one of a leader who refused to sport a
Finance Minis- up to the NEC. Buoyed by the popular support skull cap, spoke of ‘shamshaan and kabristan’ and urged people to identify
ter, the late that it received in recent times, the BJP put the anti-CAA protesters by their dress.
Arun Jaitley, a well- up a big hoarding at its headquarters with a One wishes that the BJP cadres abide by his call to care for the impov-
educated leader of picture of KCR with a slogan: “Salu Dora, erished Muslims. It will improve the lot of the poor Muslims and
the Bharatiya Janata Selavu Dora” in a typical Telangana slang. It strengthen inter-faith bonds. It doesn’t matter whether it is known as
Party (BJP), posed indicates that enough is enough and KCR ‘Muslim appeasement’ or ‘politics of fulfilment’. e Sachar Commission
this question in a should go. In addition to this, the BJP set up a report gives an account of how the majority of Muslim live in want and
blog post following a digital board with an electronic clock showing misery. It should not be reduced to a game plan to prevail on the impov-
stormy winter ses- a countdown for the rule of KCR. erished Muslims to support the party and subscribe to its Hindutva ide-
sion of parliament in It displayed the number of days le for KCR ology.
Dr Ramu December 2015. each passing day. If you open ‘selavudora.com’, Modi who has done well to ask party members to undertake ‘Sneha
Suravajjula “Falsehood delivered you can find the ‘Kalavakuntla countdown’ Yatras’ as public outreach programmes to connect with people of all faiths.
with vulgar over- board. ere is an option to sign up to join Modi is proud to be known as a Hindu nationalist; he can reinvent himself
tones is not a substi- “the movement against Kalavakuntla family and rechristen himself as an Indian nationalist befitting the exalted office
tute for truth. Lumpenisation of public dis- rule.” he holds. Further, Modi can try to ensure adequate representation for re-
course can never be the high point of politics,” I consider it a clear, innovative political ligious minorities in the Parliament, Assemblies and the Government. It
he rightly pointed out adding that people in In January, KTR redefined the BJP’s acronym to “Bakwas Jumla Party provocation. In retaliation, the TRS put out a is significant that Modi has felt that it is time to explore ‘social equations’
positions are expected to act with restraint (Nonsense, Fake Promises Party).” A BJP karyakartha, apparently huge banner of Modi with a slogan “Saalu among ‘other religious groups’. Can we expect him to consider extending
and they cannot be outlandish. “Vulgarity is inspired by KTR, abbreviated BRS, the proposed national version of Modi-Champaku Modi” (Enough is enough. the benefit of reservation for the so-called low castes among Muslims
not a right available to them,” he stated. Modi, don’t kill). A firebrand TRS MLA an- and Christians?
e politics of vulgarity, coupled with ani-
the TRS, as ‘Beer, Rum and Scotch’ to make a dig at KCR’s personal nounced that if BJP didn’t remove the count- G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
mosity, witnessed a new low during the BJP’s habit. Creativity has been overflowing at the cost of decency here down clock, his party would garland Modi’'s
National Executive Committee meeting held hoardings with footwear.
in Hyderabad, aka Bhagyanagar, on July 2 and ing the BJP’s NEC. It blocked all available ad- of language is not respectable but political Is this the way of treating elected govern- Alluri will be remembered forever
3. e ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)
diluted the seriousness of the pertinent public
issues it raised by targeting Prime Minster
vertisement space two days before the event
and pumped money from the public excheq-
uer to avail the premier advertisement space
compulsions demand such coarseness. KTR,
in his letter, said that the BJP carries hostility
and narrow-mindedness in its DNA and its
ments? Will it not be a huge embarrassment
for the BJP, if Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal puts
up the world’s biggest countdown clock against
A reader of Hans timely and aptly remembered in her letter on July 4
the necessity for the participation of film actor Krishna in PM's un-
veiling statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju at Bhimavaram. We have not seen
Modi while the BJP disappointed people by in media. All metro rail pillars wore pink, and real agenda is hatred and its ideology was di- Modi government at the international airport this staunch patriot physically but his marvellous historical movie depicted
completely ignoring the genuine demands put big hoardings came up to welcome the Op- visive politics. in the national capital? KCR won’t mind spon- ASR's realistic stature. PM in his opening address in Telugu, recited a
forward by the nation’s youngest State, during position’s presidential candidate Yashwant A day aer the NEC, KTR put up another soring for such a novel initiative as part of his line from a song of this film "Telugu Veera Levara, Deeksha Booni
its NEC. Sinha, a 1960 batch IAS and a prominent interesting tweet, a collage of Modi’s past national ambitions. Nobody would stop you Sagara". is lyric was penned by Sri Sri, tuned by Adinarayana Rao and
e TRS as well as the BJP further dented leader of the BJP 1.0. speeches in which he questions: “Kya Kaaran from campaigning to dethrone governments emotionally sung by Ghantasala. None of these three stalwarts is alive
the general public’s perception of politics as KCR personally accorded a rousing recep- Hain Hindustan Ka Rupayya Pathlaa Ho Raha but these kinds of extreme steps are unwar- but are eternal in the memories of Telugu people .
an activity of indecent and undisciplined char- tion to Sinha, unfavorable arithmetic notwith- Hain?” KTR sought to know whether “Kisi ranted. N Anjali, Hyderabad
acters. e fiercest salvos fired by Chief Min- standing, and fired salvos against Modi. In BJP Ke Uttar Kumar Ke Pas Hain Uttar?” e TRS leaders put up anti-Modi posters
ister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the TRS work- light of Maharashtra manoeuvres, he dared While ‘uttar’ means ‘answer’, Uttar Kumar is a on the advertisement panels on the road di- II
ing president K Taraka Rama Rao were firmly
met by the BJP leaders, except Modi, at the
Vijay Sankalpa Sabha.
the BJP to pull down his government. KCR
accused the Modi administration of ‘success-
fully killing democracy every day, throttling
character in the epic Mahabharat that sym-
bolises an empty boastful talk.
KTR retweeted a tweet on the State BJP
viders near Parade Grounds. ey also put up
a huge hoarding near the venue, with a slogan:
“Bye Bye Modi.” e BJP top leaders time and
I t's heartening to note that the Prime Minister had come all the way to
a remote town in AP, Bhimavaram to unveil the statue of the renowned
freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju and paid tributes. It's apt for the oc-
Modi, true to his style, didn’t mention KCR the federal system of India and toppling gov- chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s claim that Modi again make wild corruption allegations, as casion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrut’ mahotsav to honour the sacrifices of unsung
or KTR or TRS in his speech much to the dis- ernments which do not toe their line.” ji had stopped Russia-Ukraine war for the safe they did at Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra, against KCR heroes. e town Bhimavaram has connection with another great son of
appointment of the party leaders and analysts. A day before the NEC, KTR took to Twitter passage of Telugu students with a hilarious but what is preventing them to initiate action India. He is none other than world known scientist Yallapragada Subbarao,
We don’t know whether Modi went by the to mock the BJP leadership. “Welcome the comment: “WhatsApp University & it’s meri- is a million dollar question. the contemporary of Alluri Sitharama Raju.
clichéd quote, “weak people revenge, strong WhatsApp University for its executive council torious students & their hilarious make believe I guess the State BJP has spent between His contributions to the modern medicine are discovery of ATP as en-
people forgive and intelligent people ignore,” meeting to the beautiful city of Hyderabad. universe (sic).” e Union minister of Edu- Rs.15-20 crores to organise the prestigious ergy substrate, discovery of folic acid, discovery of drugs like methotrexate
but his speech at Parade Grounds was unbe- To all the Jhumla Jeevis. Don’t forget to enjoy cation, Dharmendra Pradhan, who stayed political event but the TRS government ended and Hetrazan and hundreds of research papers. According to one Nobel
lievably different from the one he had deliv- our Dum Biryani and Irani Chani,” it reads. back in Hyderabad to attend an official pro- up shelling out double, if not triple, preventing laureate he could not get the Nobel prize in medicine for his findings on
ered at Begumpet only 38 days ago to tear the It’s unbecoming of a CM material. gramme, later termed KCR as “Mungeri Lal” BJP from getting wider publicity and visibility. nucleotides only due to his co-worker's deceitful action of hiding the
‘despotic family rule’ to pieces. It’s Modi’s In January, KTR redefined the BJP’s (a joker in a Hindi serial of 1990s). ere Once again, public money has gone to drains details of the great work. Now it's time, his contributions to be remembered
choice but where are the answers to the key acronym to “Bakwas Jumla Party (Nonsense, seems to be no end to such comic remarks, in the war of political one-upmanship. and honoured with highest civilian award. It should be appropriate to
issues confronted by Telangana. Fake Promises Party).” A BJP karyakartha, ap- pot-shots and tirades. e late BJP leader, Arun Jaitley, in the honour all the unsung heroes of all walks who made India proud.
Had Modi, visibly very happy with the parently inspired by KTR, abbreviated BRS, ere was a ‘money heist’ gang, donning aforementioned blog post, observed that vul- Dr D V G Sankararao, Nellimarla
turnout, given assurances on three to five long- the proposed national version of the TRS, as the red overalls and dali masks, to expose garity doesn’t buy votes. Political parties and
pending issues from Parade Grounds, it would ‘Beer, Rum and Scotch’ to make a dig at KCR’s multi-crore bank frauds, during the NEC. It leaders are not in a mood to listen to the saga-
have brought more mileage for the BJP. But, personal habit. Creativity has been overflow- was seen in many places holding placards that cious observation. In contrast, politicians, ir- thehansreader@gmail.com
sadly, both parties developed the habit of de- ing at the cost of decency here. read: ‘We only rob banks. You rob the whole respective of ideological frameworks, strongly
liberately ignoring the issues raised by rival KTR shot off a letter to the BJP leaders, ti- nation. #BYEBYEMODI.’ Some hoardings ac- believe that exhibition of vulgarity and ani-
parties. tled: Aao, Dekho, Seekho (come, see and cused Modi of robbing the entire nation while mosity only ensures more votes.
learn), besides retweeting TRS Party’s thread some referred to the false claims of KCR. (e author, a Ph.D. in Communication
TRS: Advertisement space on the developmental activities in “PM’s pre- and Journalism, is a senior journalist, jour-
e TRS top brass went all out to show its ferred language” (Guajarati). KTR is mature BJP: Countdown clock nalism educator, and communication consult-
vengeance against the Modi government dur- enough to understand that the ‘Aao-Jao’ kind BJP should be blamed for its role in kick- ant)
OU alumni networks to synergise

PROF D RAVINDER YADAV ers, have agreed to work with the
University on various academic
“E ducation is the most pow-

erful weapon that you can
developmental activities.
Several Silicon Valley CEOs
use to change the world.” says Nel-
son Mandela. Universities play a
The Agenda-21
Any system or organisation that
ten main US cities of
New York, New Jer-
who are graduates of the Univer-
sity responded favorably to the
CB raids on K’taka Congress
pivotal role in delivering political,
economic, social, industrial, and
wants to advance needs a road
map. e University has released
sey, Boston, Washing-
ton, DC, Atlanta, Dal-
Vice Chancellor's request for their
assistance in raising funds and en-
MLA Zameer Khan
technological leadership. As long the Agenda-21 programme aer las, Houston, gaging in productive activities. BENGALURU: Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday
as universities produce qualified two months of rigorous exercise Chicago, Denver, and ey pointed out that his to reach conducted raids at the residence and offices of Congress MLA and former
students, nations can achieve sus- that involved faculty, alumni the Bay Area in San out to the alumni and expressed minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, right hand man of Opposition leader
tainability in all areas of growth. (through online participation), Francisco. their intent to support their Alma- Siddaramaiah. According to sources, the raids are being conducted in
Osmania University has histori- and retired senior professors. e Mater. ey suggested that the connection with the multi-crore IMA scandal. Simultaneous raids are
cally been able to carve out a niche thrust is on: Outcomes of University prepare Detailed Proj- being conducted at multiple locations by a team of more than 40 officers.
for itself among other universities 1. Teaching and learning; the visit ect Reports (DPRs) on the poten- e residence Silver Oak Apartments in the Cantonment area, guest
in the nation and around the globe 2. fostering a culture of innovation At the meeting tial areas of academic and infra- house in Sadashivanagar, G.K. Associates office in Banashankari, and Na-
in this regard. e current Vice and research; with Shantanu structure development. e CEOs tional Travels office in Chamarajpet are being raided.
Chancellor embarked on a number 3. developing infrastructure and Narayan, Adobe’s were positive about sponsoring Earlier, raids were conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at
of reforms to strengthen the insti- 4. creating outreach initiatives, CEO, one of the specific academic and student the residence and offices of Khan. Sources said that the ED raids unearthed
tution aer seizing the historic among other things. proud alumni trips to the region for exposure. wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. As per the di-
chance given by the Government Over the past year, with the co- pledged to establish a Alumni gatherings that the rections of the ED, the ACB has registered a complaint and conducted
of Telangana to lead the university. operation of all stakeholders, the been taken to register Osmania premier integrated research and OUNAAA working group raids, sources said.
Numerous Osmania graduates university had been advancing Foundation (OF) under Section 8 training facility on the campus of planned in the aforementioned
work in a variety of fields around Agenda 21 activities under the slo- of the Companies Act to raise Osmania University. Omkaram cities was fruitful. e construc-
the globe and have spread the gan "Reform, Perform and Trans- money and use it transparently. Nalamasu, a renowned material tion of the Alumni Bhavan, the Bommai assures action as Bajrang Dal activist’s
word about their Alma-Mater form." e university is now developing scientist and the president of Ap- conversion of 100 classrooms into
wherever they have landed. e the necessary structures to include plied Ventures, agreed to lend digital classrooms outfitted with murder accused gets VIP treatment in jail
Telangana government's Mana Connecting with alumni alumni in significant numbers at technological support. During the cutting-edge technologies, the es- BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday assured
Vooru-Mana Badi Programme abroad various levels aer studying the upcoming trips to India, both par- tablishment of alumni fellowships action aer pictures of accused in the Bajrang Dal activist Harsha murder
served as inspiration for the e alumni play a crucial role expanding endowment structures ties committed to spending time and internships for the top re- case getting preferential treatment in the Central Prison of Parappana
phrase Mana Osmania-Mana Uni- in development of the University. of several illustrious schools, in- at the university and interacting searchers and students, the devel- Agrahara here, went viral on social media. "We have considered the case
versity, which was coined to draw In India, a number of IITs, IIMs, cluding IITs and IIMs in India and with staff and students in their re- opment of the campus infrastruc- very seriously. It seems that one team in the Parappana Agrahara Prison
in and engage the university's and Central Universities have es- MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and other spective fields. ture, etc. are just a few of the is colluding with the arrested accused. Action will be initiated today
graduates from around the world. tablished alumni networks and are US institutions. Likewise ,former students of tangible outcomes. (Tuesday) itself in connection with the case of the accused making video
e Vice Chancellor travelled to using those networks in their e Osmania University North Osmania University who are in e University hopes that these calls from the prison," he said. Photos of accused who are lodged in Arap-
the US for a month, in May and growth efforts. Osmania Univer- America Alumni Association the academia in prestigious insti- steps would significantly con- pana Agrahara Central Prison in connection with 27-year-old Bajrang
June, 2022, at the invitation of the sity has been around for more (OUNAAA) planned three online tutions, including Prof. Praveen tribute to catapulting the Univer- Dal activist Harsha murder case enjoying have gone viral on social media.
North America alumni network than a century and has a large in- meets prior to the conferences. Kopalle of the Dartmouth Busi- sity to great heights, make it sus- is has come as a major embarrassment to the state government which
and visited many States and inter- ternational alumni base, and Os- e 21-point agenda items were ness School, one of the top facul- tainable forward and emerge had patted its own back aer nabbing the accused within 24 hours of the
acted with a large network of Os- mania is keen on fully utilizing its reviewed and a Working Group of ties for strategies and innovation, stronger to serve future genera- brutal murder, which made national news.
mania University alumni on po- social capital. Realizing this, the the OUNAAA was formed. is Prof. Vijay Govinda Rajan of the tions in the fiercely competitive
tential areas for exchange, new Vice Chancellor took timely Working Group was responsible Tuck School of Business, Prof. academic world.
cooperation, and partnership in action and created a unique for setting up alumni gatherings Ravi Bellamkonda of Emory Uni- Read more at
the fields of research and devel- Alumni Cell, which is now devel- with the Vice Chancellor during versity, Prof. Kamesh Nanduri of (e author is Vice Chancellor, https://epaper.thehansindia.com (Bengaluru edition)
opment. oping a database. A decision has his visit in May–June 2022 in the Lupin Pharmaceuticals, and oth- Osmania University, Hyderabad)
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It is impossible to live without failing at
something, unless you live so cautiously
that you might as well not have lived at JK
all—in which case, you fail by default Rowling
06 HYDERABAD WEDNESDAY 06 07 2022� �
The US’s primary goal is to further its proxy war

INDIAN EXPRESS IS NOT AN against Russia and bring down the price of oil. For
INDUSTRY. IT IS A MISSION. these goals, Biden is willing to sup with autocrats
SAUDI ARABIA AND

— Ramnath Goenka
FALL IN FMCG SALES

THE US: CAN THEY
SHOWS A DECLINING DO A TANGO?
QUALITY OF LIFE
H
igh inflation is not just a research figure
fueling the economic debate. It has a real, PINAK RANJAN Former Ambassador and Secretary in
CHAKRAVARTY MEA, and Visiting Fellow at ORF, Delhi
negative impact on the daily lives of the
masses. In this respect, fast-moving con- SOUMYADIP SINHA
R
sumer goods (FMCGs) that are bought
daily have seen lower sales through June, com- ising oil prices have hit all coun- munism. The Kingdom provided no evidence in the public domain perception of Saudi Arabia in the between Saudi Arabia and Israel,
tries and Western sanctions on huge funding for the fight against to corroborate this conclusion. US became sharply negative. En- both wary of Iran’s ambition in
pared to the previous month of May. From bis-
Russia are causing economic dis- the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. MbS is the de facto ruler. He is the ergy security was tied to Ameri- the region and its growing missile
cuits and shampoos to tea and toothpaste, retail tress and undermining food secu- The two countries are the most 7th son of the ailing 86-year-old, can interest in the West Asian re- and drone capability. Saudi Ara-
tracker Bizcom reported a fall in sales of 3.1% rity globally. Sanctions are also unlikely of allies. They are poles King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. The gion. Realising this, Saudi Arabia bia still does not officially recog-
in urban areas and 0.2% for rural areas for hurting Russia but have not de- apart in tradition and values. Yet 38-year-old has emerged as a re- charted an independent line on nise Israel and stayed out of the
June. The fall in urban sales was mainly im- terred it. US President Joe Biden their alliance has endured through former and introduced several production and pricing of oil. Sau- Abraham Accords which normal-
pacted by Tier-2 cities where sales shrank by has announced that he is planning the vicissitudes of international policies that have liberalised the di Arabia also remains unhappy ised relations with other Arab
to visit Saudi Arabia in July. Bi- politics for over eight decades. strict Sharia-based Islamic laws. with the US’s inconsistent support countries. Biden will certainly
7.5%. Even in the height of summer, sales of
den will first travel to Israel, USA’s The US is the oldest democracy He has the support of the younger for Saudi intervention in the Yem- make a bid for persuading Saudi
white goods such as air-conditioners and re- longstanding ally, and then to Jed- and Saudi Arabia is a deeply con- generation of Saudis in this en civil war. Arabia to establish diplomatic ties
frigerators fell up to 15% in sequential months, dah. His visit is clearly to mend servative Islamic state and a fam- liberalisation. Saudi Arabia is the 3rd-largest with Israel.
showing a high level of belt-tightening by fences with Saudi Arabia. Having ily-ruled oligarchy which imposes The US could not ignore the oil producer after the U.S. and Biden’s forthcoming visit has
consumers. promoted a narrative about the the harsh tenets of Islamic Sharia public outcry that followed the Russia. The Kingdom has ignored already come under attack from
One of the reasons for the falling sales is the world being in two camps, democ- law and gives no democratic Khashoggi murder and sanctioned Biden’s requests for increasing oil political opponents and other lob-
price-led growth FMCG companies have been racies and autocracies, Biden is freedoms to citizens and foreign Saudi individuals associated with production but may now be ame- bies for reneging on his promises.
bending to the demand of realpoli- residents. The Saudi-USA rela- the murder. Biden, however, shied nable to doing a deal with the US Biden has recently praised MbS
opting for to increase revenue and better bot- tik. He had famously said during tionship is a classic example of away from applying sanctions on and help control the surging oil for his support for the ceasefire in
tom lines. FMCG companies are facing higher his electoral campaign that he national interest taking prece- MbS. This soured bilateral ties. prices. Iran remains under sanc- Yemen. MbS has played hardball
input costs, and they have been passing these would make a “pariah” out of Sau- dence over human rights, democ- Saudi-USA ties were also impact- tions and is steadily advancing its with the Biden Administration
on to consumers with disastrous effects. These di Arabia. The US’s primary goal racy, freedom of speech and relied when the US became a net ex- nuclear weapons programme. A but has also cooperated on the mil-
companies, with all their market research, is to further its proxy war against gious freedom, issues on which porter of oil, following the shale deal with Iran will also help re- itary side by taking part in meet-
should have figured by now how price sensitive Russia and bring down the price the US lectures other countries, oil boom. The US’s dependence on lease more oil into the global oil ings with American and Israeli
of oil. For these goals, Biden is including India, the world’s larg- Saudi oil disappeared and public market and ease prices. Saudi defence officials, to discuss joint
the Indian consumer is. High inflationary pres-
willing to sup with autocrats. est democracy. Saudi Arabia also Arabia is the de facto leader of the programmes to counter Iran. Is-
sure in the first half of this year, coupled with Saudi Arabia and the US be- generously funded the US mili- OPEC and non-OPEC alliance and rael’s sophisticated military arse-
a poor job market, has forced the Indian con- came formal allies in 1951 when tary-industrial complex by buying has a readily available spare canal and missile defence systems
sumer to postpone purchases and cut back on they signed the Mutual Defence huge quantities of military hard- pacity to boost oil production. are the main attraction for Arab
consumption. Assistance Programme. This alli- ware which it has deployed in its The Ukraine war’s fallout on en- countries.
The fall in FMCG sales is also a worrying ance is based on the bilateral com- intervention in the Yemen civil ergy and food security has led to a India will be watching Biden’s
pact that the US will extend secu- war. The Ukraine war’s fallout on energy rethink. Inflationary pressures visit with some anxiety. Both the
indicator of the drop in the quality of life of and food security has led to a rethink.
rity guarantees to protect Saudi This cosy relationship ran into have hit the US market, angering US and Saudi Arabia have moved
the Indian consumer, as he desperately seeks Arabia and the Al Saud family’s trouble after the 9/11 attacks and Inflationary pressures have hit the US market, American consumers and Biden’s closer to India over the last decade
to balance his household budget. This is com- grip on power and Saudi Arabia deteriorated further after the bru- angering American consumers and Biden’s popularity ratings have plummet- and India will eagerly await a deal
ing round to bite FMCG companies. They have will reciprocate by providing tal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a popularity ratings have plummeted. The first ed. The first step in this reconcili- on additional oil production that
realised a precipitous fall in consumption due cheap oil and will quote prices in dissident Saudi journalist. Ameri- step in this reconciliation will be the Biden ation will be the Biden visit, dur- will lower prices. A reduction in
to high prices is hurting their bottom lines, and US dollars [hence the term Petro- can Intelligence pointed the finger ing which he will try to persuade India’s oil import bill will be most
dollars]. Additionally, Saudi Ara- at Saudi Crown Prince Muham-
visit, during which he will try to persuade
many are shifting back to consumption-led Saudi Arabia to increase oil pro- welcome when economic growth
bia agreed to back the US in its mad bin Salman, popularly re- Saudi Arabia to increase oil production and duction and release the supply- in India is showing signs of
growth. foreign policy initiatives globally, ferred to as MbS, as the master- release the supply-side pressure side pressure. He is likely to en- rejuvenation.
Given the high inflation, these companies including the fight against com- mind behind the killing. There is courage closer coordination (pr.chakravarty@gmail.com)
must squeeze their margins to keep prices in
check and to stoke demand. The government
can help too by reducing Goods and Services
VARANASI SUMMIT: SECOND COMING OF MAHAMANA

Taxes (GST) on essentials to either zero or the
5% slab. Industry bodies have rightly stated
that now is the time for ‘zero’ tax on items such
as health care services and deplored the 5%
levy on hospital rooms. ternal models of engagement. the form of the Higher Education The increase in the gross enrol-
A critical component of the Advanced Development for Sus- ment ratio through equitable and
Declaration will be to ensure that tainable Teaching using Robust inclusive education shall be a
REVISE INDEMNITY FOR DR S VAIDHYASUBRAMANIAM Vice-Chancellor & Tata Sons Chair
Professor of Management,
“research, innovation and entre-
preneurship (RIE)” does not
Technology (HEADSTART). It is
an autogenous mechanism that
product of all the pillars of educa-
tional growth which need to be
WRONGFUL CONCEPTION SASTRA Deemed University, Tamil Nadu become the exclusive preserve of
ivory-tower-type HEIs and be-
engages the teaching eco-system
in a process of continuous im-
built with foundational strength
not only by cement and steel but
comes accessible to all HEIs irre- provement through continuous
T
also thought and action flowing
D
eclarations, that signal the suc- the vocational to innovation. The spective of their categorisation. training and development. from all directions through vari-
he Odisha High Court last fortnight said
cessful conclusion of summits summit will hopefully be the The “democratisation”of the RIE The Declaration will call for ous partnership models with an
a married woman was eligible for com- and conferences, open up emerg- springboard for institutions to apparatus can unleash India’s evaluating the quality of higher ingrained focus on inclusivity,
pensation because she came pregnant ing pathways for development and dive deep into the waters of knowledge capital that is availa- education institutions on the ba- affordability, accessibility and
even after undergoing sterilisation. The growth. The pace of cooperation progressive creativity and not ble aplenty in particularly the sis of the building blocks of Hind quality.
succour was worth `50,000, including the and action steps up when the dec- swim towards the shores of re- grassroots-level institutions.The Swaraj, insisting on improving in- India’s leadership in higher ed-
maximum available indemnity of `30,000 and laration is global and is matched gressive safety. As a participant Declaration is wont to align stitutional quality based on home ucation is not a new-found phe-
State costs worth `20,000. The woman said she by a national response. That is individual representing an imple- the governance of HEIs with rules for home-grown institutions. nomenon. It is an ancient knowl-
what is expected to be the precise menting institution, I look for- Prime Minister Modi’s ‘minimum The ‘phygital’ form of education edge empire wanting to strike
cannot bear the expenses of rearing the sur- outcome of the three-day Akhil ward to the dream-come-true mo- government, maximum govern- shall be encouraged using the ex- back in this 75th year of her Inde-
prise child. Should she be compensated for not Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam ment with the following possible ance’ principle. Deserving HEIs periences from the pandemic pendence to become the Vish-
only the standard costs but expenses related to (ABSS) the Ministry of Education Varanasi Declaration aligned to shall be freed from regulatory times through a calibrated model waguru by the year 2047. There
child-rearing and other intangible issues di- (MoE) and University Grants the ten themes. shackles and given full adminis- that blends online and offline edu- shall be a strategic framework for
rectly related to the pregnancy? Commission (UGC) are organiz- The Declaration may announce trative, academic and financial cation in a balanced manner with- internationalising India’s higher
Women’s rights bodies, advocates and the ing in Varanasi from July 7 to 9. a “realistic and phased-out time- autonomy aligned with the glo- out the need to move towards ei- education not only through brick
The recent, June 22 BRICS Decla- line” for the much-awaited Higher bally acknowledged but nationally ther of the vulnerable extremes. and mortar institutions but also
government must look into this absent provi-
ration, which had substantial ref- Education Commission of India. dismissed spirit of owner-led in- Focused attention on the local using the bits and bytes of knowl-
sion in the statutes. The use of sterilisation erences to education, will both The body will have a multi-stake- stitutions being more responsible language and Indian knowledge edge, making India an exporter of
demonstrates people’s acceptance of family provide and receive impetus from holder representation at all levels and accountable than owner-less system shall strengthen the cogni- both hard and soft knowledge. The
planning. If it fails, couples experience unin- the Varanasi Declaration on High- -- policy, implementation, evalua- institutions. tive abilities and native wisdom ABSS is taking place in the holy
tended tension and long-term worries over fi- er Education, an expected out- tion and assessment. It will also The process of ensuring high of all learners during the forma- city of Varanasi in which the in-
nances. These may seem intangibles, but in come of the ABSS and the free- accommodate the best practices quality teaching methods and tive stages of their careers and spirational Mahamana estab-
flowing ideas and deliberations that pre-date NEP 2020 and ensure teachers will have an oversight in build a sense of pride in indige- lished the Banaras Hindu Univer-
India today where accidental death suits at-
one expects to witness at the diversity in its composition and nous forms of knowledge and sity (BHU) with almost nothing in
tract huge damages, ‘accidental births’ should summit. action, symbolic of the complexi- language. his hand but everything in his
also merit greater attention where compensa- The Samagam will be inaugu- ty in India’s vast higher education There shall be a massive unbun- strong mind. The Varanasi Decla-
tion is concerned. In India, wrongful pregnan- rated by Prime Minister Naren- landscape. dling and liberalisation of voca- ration shall not only reflect the
cy suits depend on proving the doctor incor- dra Modi, the NEP 2020 ideator The growing relevance of “ho- tional and skill education by ena- multi-dimensional legacy that
rectly performed the sterilization, the element and accelerator. The traffic of listic education”, especially in the bling all HEIs to offer various Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
of negligence in the procedure, and breach of thoughts and action from some of current phase of post-pandemic The ‘phygital’ form of education shall be certificate and diploma courses left behind in the form of a mag-
the best academic vehicles will revival, will be addressed by pro- encouraged using the experiences from the based on local and regional needs nificent BHU edifice but also the
the parents’ trust in the effectiveness of the converge at this platform to take viding full independence to high- to enrich the socio-economic fab-
pandemic times through a calibrated model second coming of his own first
wrongful sterilisation. However, when it comes forward the actionable agenda of er educational institutions (HEI) ric of India’s rich economic clus- self. In short, The Varanasi Decla-
to recovery, the costs need to be revised to ac- that blends online and offline education in a
NEP 2020. The deliberations will to organise multi-disciplinary and ters in rural areas which are al- ration on Higher Education shall
count for the future expenses of surprise chil- be held across ten thematic ses- inter-disciplinary engagements. balanced manner without the need to move ready functional as open-air be the second coming of Maha-
dren. Yes, an unwanted child with health com- sions covering broad areas of The exercise can be taken up towards either of the vulnerable extremes universities without the need for mana’s First.
plications will raise the costs for the parents. higher education, ranging from through internal reforms or ex- any formal education. (vaidhya@sastra.edu)
But expenses are incurred even for bringing up
healthy children. There is a moot point too. A
failed sterilisation leads not to a wrongful
birth. It causes wrongful conception. And peo-
ple go in for sterilisation to avoid the latter. Unstoppable party Chain effect juniors seems to have become a admission or imprisonment are certainly Constitution instead of reinventing a
Therefore, the compensation claim begins from This is with reference to the editorial This is with reference to the editorial dangerous chain effect. apt punishments. double-engine wheel.
the point of conception, and the couple’s fore- BJP sets its eyes on Telangana in Odisha must have anti-ragging S Lakshmi, Hyderabad R Pichumani, Kumbakonam T Kailash Ditya, Hyderabad
southern march (July 5). I do believe law (July 5). It has a profound bearing
seeable losses become valid for consideration. that BJP’s claims about staying in on the needless and sadistic practice of Tighten anti-ragging law Triple-engine is best A true journalist
A related issue needs attention as well. In power for another 30–40 years. They ragging in the country. States like AP The suicide of a 19-year-old in In recent times, many BJP politicians This is with reference to Hope and
modern society, women alone cannot be re- demonstrate energy, drive and a sense and Maharashtra have denied admission Bhubaneswar due to ragging by seniors have been talking about the concept despair: Kathy Gannon recounts her
sponsible for family planning. Yet, there is an of purpose. Their massive outreach to bullies and have made ragging is sending shock waves throughout of ‘double engine’. I want to remind 35 years in Afghanistan (July 5). This
over-reliance on female sterilisation. Male va- program ‘Sneha Yatra’ which aims to punishable with imprisonment. This the country. This aimless violence that them that we already have a triple article was a fascinating read. To serve
sectomy figures are minimal. Doctors must be connect with the minorities, should be is a very urgent requirement for Kerala is spreading as fast as air breaks the engine: central list, state list and in Afghanistan, resolute courage is
emulated across the country. BJP will too, where incidents of ragging are hopes, ambitions and future dreams concurrent list. This was created to called for. She must be a perfect foil for
made accountable for incorrect sterilisation have its footprint in Telangana, which seen at different levels in education, of young aspirants. Online ragging maintain the quasi-federal system. the BBC’s intrepid journalists like Lyse
procedures, but a bigger priority is gender par- other parties have been unable to do. resulting in the deaths of students. adds fuel to the fire. Odisha should So, I think it is better for the BJP Doucet and Orla Guerin.
ity in adopting family planning procedures. Haribandhu Panigrahi, Tarbha The sadistic ritual of seniors ragging tighten its anti-ragging laws—denying leaders to first read the Indian C G Kuriakose, Kothamangalam
THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS

Chairman of the Board: Manoj Kumar Sonthalia Editor: Santwana Bhattacharya
Resident Editor (Telangana) : T Kalyan Chakravarthy* Printed and Published by R K Jhunjhunwala on behalf of Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., at H.No.6-3-1113/1, B.S.Makta Lane, Somajiguda, Near Grand Kakatiya Hotel, Punjagutta, Hyderabad – 500 016 and printed by him at Sakshi Press, Plot No.D-75 & E-52, Industrial Estate (APIE),
Balanagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Hyderabad: Vol. 46, No. 160 RNI Reg. No. 32179/77. Phone: 040-23413908. * Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY 06 JULY 2022 07
Religion is too serious to
100 YEARS AGO
OCCASIONAL NOTE
be left to politicians
There is a familiar ring about a good deal of
the evidence recorded in the Cuttack Sedi-
tion case, the outcome of which was a
heavy sentence of imprisonment for each
of the three culprits arraigned. For instance
- "In our present movement the time has
come for a trial of strength with the Gov-
ernment. We too shall have to do the
SUNIL SHARAN trouble. He used even more insulting same." These or similar sentiments were
words. The BJP has washed its hands the stock-in-trade of the non-cooperators
T
he most endangered person off him, but the State is obligated to almost everywhere a few months ago, and
in India today is neither the provide him protection as well. the public mind had grown so accustomed
president of India nor the Sharma and Jindal and anybody to hearing them spouted with impunity
prime minister. It is Nupur who supports them publicly are liv- that it must have come as a considerable
Sharma. ing on borrowed time. Proud Hindu shock to many, including possibly the
Sharma was always a firebrand and a Nationalist is what Jindal calls accused, in the Cuttack case to discover
personality. She became explosive on himself now. Well, it’s more like Stu- that from the legal standpoint they are, in
TV, spoke insultingly and used a pid Hindu. Where really was the need Dogberry's famous phrase, "most tolera-
wrong word. For that, her head is on to insult someone’s religious figure? ble and not to be endured." While his kind
the chopping block. The counter-narrative is that of language has passed largely out of fash-
Asaduddin Owaisi wants her in people like Akbaruddin Owaisi insult ion - doubtless as the result of the prosecu-
jail. Perhaps she’ll be safest there. But Hinduism. Well, let the law take its tions at Cuttack and elsewhere - it is still
she has to be given due process. Only own course with respect to bigots like employed on such occasions as the meet-
the courts will decide what fate awaits him. Hinduism, Judaism and Chris- ings of Congress committees and the rov-
her. tianity have evolved where people of ing commission recently given to the "Civil
I was in Mumbai a few years the respective faiths make fun of their Disobedience Committee" to tour India
ago. In a central plaza was a big own religion. Perhaps in due course and discover if the country is yet ripe for
poster of the Owaisi brothers. Islam will. Maybe it won’t. Who can revolution. If it is worth the while of the
Akbaruddin Owaisi has insulted say? Bihar Government to punish a trio of
Hindu Gods much more harshly India is sitting on a religious tin- obscure agitators at Utkal, there seems to
than has Nupur Sharma the Prophet derbox. The Nupur Sharma trial will be no special reason why the touring com-
of Islam. She has even apologized; be closely watched all over the world. mittee of the Congress should be exempt
no such apology seems forthcoming Asaduddin Owaisi says that she’s des- from the operation of the law against sedi-
from Akbar. tined for higher things, that anyone tion.
They say that Prime Minister who insults Muslims is rewarded by
Modi has curtailed press freedom in Hai. Now one might as well ask, mination of Hindutva came when the has been executed; his execution the powers that be. NEWS ITEMS
India. Yet woke channels thrive in Naseeruddin Shah Ko Gussa Kyoon Supreme Court of India handed over publicly videographed. These guys In this case, it might be difficult
India today. Every night they bash
Modi. Woke anchors trot out the
Aata Hai.
He claims to be a liberal, who has
the disputed mandir-masjid land in
Ayodhya to the Hindus.
are serious. They have a lot of crazies
within their midst.
to reward Sharma. The controversy
burst forth only when Middle Eastern BURGLARY IN
older Owaisi whenever there is a
Hindu-Muslim controversy.
married a Hindu woman. Well, that
is precisely the problem. Many Hin-
P Chidambaram says that the
judgment was flawed. Certainly, the
People just need to understand
that one community takes any affront
Islamic countries expressed their ire.
The prime minister treasures India’s BURDWAN ROAD
There he holds forth, with the dus don’t want Hindu women to court said many things and then did to their religion or religious figures relations with them. Perhaps in some During the early hours of Tuesday morn-
woke anchors listening to his every marry Muslim men unless and until the opposite. A more just judgment very seriously, even violently. Why is 20 years, Sharma can walk over the ing, a burglary was committed in the house
word. They never seem to interrupt Muslim men allow Muslim women to could have been sharing the disputed this so? Well, it is what it is. It’s like shards of her making and mount a of Mr. J.B. Ross, Burdwan Road. While the
him. Woke channels also invite marry outside their faith, which they land between a temple and a mosque, asking why the sky is blue. Otherwise, resurrection. intruder was engaged in searching an almi-
Naseeruddin Shah. He bristles with don’t and probably never will. or even reserving the land for a how many crazies will you appre- But not right now. Right now, it is rah in the bed room, Mrs. Ross awoke and,
anger and trembles with fury. With Hindutva blossomed because LK national heritage museum. hend? purely a matter of life and death for sitting up in bed, challenged the man. He
age must come sagacity. He says Advani went after the Babri Masjid. A Even though Muslims got ade- Sharma was a national her. Former French prime minister, rushed towards Mrs. Ross, and the latter
that in countries like Pakistan and shrewd but religious prime minister, quate land to build a mosque, many spokesperson of the BJP and part of Georges Clemenceau said that war is cried out, whereupon the burglar bolted
Afghanistan, blasphemy is reward- Narasimha Rao, was fooled by the seethed with anger. Many Hindut- its executive committee. She’s been too serious a business to be left to the out of the room and escaped. Mr. Ross
ed with death. Well, it isn’t so in “utter perfidy” of the bhakts. India vadis gloated. Now it would be the suspended from the party for six generals. In the same vein, it could be hearing the cry, rushed from the next
India. If Shah likes the Islamic sys- has never been the same again. turn of Kashi and Mathura and per- months. But the party has a bigger said that religion is too serious a mat- room, but too late to intercept the burglar.
tem of justice so much, why doesn’t If Rajiv Gandhi had been alive, haps even two thousand more problem on hand. How to save her? ter to be left to the politicians. Subsequently, it was discovered that the
he move to Pakistan or he might have stemmed the tide of mosques. They are obligated to do so. She is a thief had carried away gold and silver orna-
Afghanistan? Hindutva. But he is not, and no one Which was what led to the TV citizen of India and a party member. The writer is an expert on energy and ments, including watches, cigarette cases,
He once acted in a movie called has been able to stop Hindutva from debate that got Nupur Sharma in hot Naveen Jindal, Sharma’s expelled contributes regularly to publications in and other things to the value of nearly Rs
Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata pouring forth through India. The cul- water. Now a Hindu tailor in Udaipur comrade-in-arms, is in even dire India and overseas. 1,000. Information was given to the Alipore
Thana, and immediate enquiries were
What makes us attractive to mosquitos?

taken up by them, with the result that they
arrested a man named Kasimuddy, and
recovered all the property from him.
PENGHUA WANG host’s odour by altering the micro- INDIAN ART AND
biome of the skin.
LITERATURE
M
osquitoes are the world’s Finally, we wondered if there was
deadliest animals. Over 1 a way to prevent this change in London, July 5
million deaths per year odours. We found one potential At a conversazione of the India Society
are attributed to mosqui- option when we observed that infect- tonight, Professor William Rotherstein
to-borne diseases, including malaria, ed mice had decreased levels of an appealed for a more serious sense of inter-
yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika and important microbe-fighting molecule est and responsibility in England towards
chikungunya fever. produced by skin cells, called RELMa. the great artistic and literary culture of
How mosquitoes seek out and This suggested that the dengue and India. European scholars who were unable
feed on their hosts are important fac- Zika viruses suppressed production to travel to Asia should find in London, he
tors in how a virus circulates in of this molecule, making the mice said, a centre of Eastern artistic culture,
nature. Mosquitoes spread diseases more vulnerable to infection. and a building containing an India Office
by acting as carriers of viruses and Vitamin A and its related chemi- library and a noble collection of Indian
other pathogens: A mosquito that cal compounds are known to strongly paintings, sculpture, and objects of art
bites a person infected with a virus boost production of RELMa. So we should form a centre where European and
can acquire the virus and pass it on to fed a vitamin A derivative to infected Indian students could meet on common
the next person it bites. chamber. When we applied airflow infected mice. Of these, we found how viruses were increasing the mice over the course of a few days ground. They thought of India too often in
For immunologists and infec- through the mouse chambers to fun- three to stimulate a significant amount of mosquito-attracting ace- and measured the amount of RELMa political terms only, and did not pay suffi-
tious disease researchers like me, a nel their odours toward the mosqui- response in mosquito antennae. tophenone their hosts produce. Ace- and Bacillus bacteria present on their cient attention to her magnificent contri-
better understanding of how a virus toes, we found that more mosquitoes When we applied these three com- tophenone, along with being a chem- skin, then exposed them to mosqui- bution to world culture.
interacts with a host may offer new chose to fly toward the infected mice pounds to the skin of healthy mice ical commonly used as a fragrance in toes.
strategies for preventing and treating
mosquito-borne diseases. In our
over the uninfected mice.
We ruled out carbon dioxide as a
and the hands of human volunteers,
only one, acetophenone, attracted
perfumes, is also a metabolic byprod-
uct commonly produced by certain
We found that infected mice
treated with the vitamin A derivative BIRTHDAY OF
recently published study, my col-
leagues and I found that some viruses
reason for why the mosquitoes were
attracted to the infected mice,
more mosquitoes compared to the
control. We found that infected mice
bacteria living on the skin and in the
intestines of both people and mice.
were able to restore their RELMa lev-
els back to those of uninfected mice, AMERICAN
can alter a person’s body odour to be
more attractive to mosquitoes, lead-
because while Zika-infected mice
emitted less carbon dioxide than
produced 10 times more acetophe-
none than uninfected mice.
So, we wondered if it had something
to do with changes in the type of bac-
as well as reduce the amount of Bacil-
lus bacteria on their skin. Mosquitoes INDEPENDENCE
ing to more bites that allow a virus to uninfected mice, dengue-infected Similarly, we found that the teria on the skin. were also no more attracted to these Defying the elements some 75 American
spread. mice did not change emission levels. odours collected from the armpits of To test this idea, we removed treated, infected mice than uninfect- citizens residing in Calcutta and the neigh-
Mosquitoes locate a potential Likewise, we ruled out body tempera- dengue fever patients contained more either the skin or intestinal bacteria ed mice. bouring mofussil gathered at Peliti's on the
host through different sensory cues, ture as a potential attractive factor acetophenone than those from from infected mice before exposing Our next step is to replicate these evening of July 4, and celebrated the 146th
such as your body temperature and when mosquitoes did not differenti- healthy people. When we applied the them to mosquitoes. While mosqui- results in people and eventually apply anniversary of the Declaration of Ameri-
the carbon dioxide emitted from your ate between mice with elevated or dengue fever patient odours on one toes were still more attracted to what we learn to patients. Vitamin A can Independence. Arrangements for the
breath. Odours also play a role. Previ- normal body temperatures. hand of a volunteer and a healthy infected mice with depleted intesti- deficiency is common in developing dinner were in the hands of a representa-
ous lab research has found that mice Then we assessed the role of person’s odour on the other hand, nal bacteria compared to uninfected countries. This is especially the case tive committee, and the excellent dinner
infected with malaria have changes body odours in the mosquitoes’ mosquitoes were consistently more mice, they were significantly less in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast served, the attractive decorations and the
in their scents that make them more increased attraction to infected mice. attracted to the hand with dengue attracted to infected mice with Asia, where mosquito-transmitted interesting musical programme bear tes-
attractive to mosquitoes. With this in After placing a filter in the glass fever odours. depleted skin bacteria. These results viral diseases are prevalent. Our next timony to the skill and care with which
mind, my colleagues and I wondered chambers to prevent mice odours These findings imply that the suggest that skin microbes are an steps are to investigate whether they performed their duties. The American
if other mosquito-borne viruses, such from reaching the mosquitoes, we dengue and Zika viruses are capable essential source of acetophenone. dietary vitamin A or its derivatives jazz band, composed of musical amateurs,
as dengue and Zika, can also change a found that the number of mosquitoes of increasing the amount of ace- When we compared the skin bac- could reduce mosquito attraction to played between courses, and added much
person’s scent to make them more flying toward infected and uninfected tophenone their hosts produce and teria compositions of infected and people infected with Zika and to the success of the evening. But one for-
attractive to mosquitoes, and whether mice were comparable. This suggests emit, making them even more attrac- uninfected mice, we identified that a dengue, and subsequently reduce mal and official toast, that of the President,
there is a way to prevent these that there was something about the tive to mosquitoes. When uninfected common type of rod-shaped bacte- mosquito-borne diseases in the long proposed by the American Consul-Gener-
changes. odours of the infected mice that drew mosquitoes bite these attractive ria, Bacillus, was a major acetophe- term. al, was proposed, but the conviviality, while
To investigate this, we placed the mosquitoes toward them. hosts, they may go on to bite other none producer and had significantly restrained, was whole-hearted and sincere,
mice infected with the dengue or Zika To identify the odour, we isolated people and spread the virus even fur- increased numbers on infected mice. The writer is Assistant Professor of and the Entente Cordiale note between
Immunology at the University of Connecticut.
virus, uninfected mice and mosqui- 20 different gaseous chemical com- ther. This meant that the dengue and Zika This article was published on English-speaking countries was stressed
toes in one of three arms of a glass pounds from the scent emitted by the Next, we wanted to figure out viruses were able to change their www.theconversation.com frequently throughout the evening.
CROSSWORD NO 2920121 DACOITS' HOT

RECEPTION AT
YESTERDAYS SOLUTION ACROSS 15 Sister admits (9) 5 Back home at 6 am? 17 Flying birdmen
FEROZEPUR
1 Fights to show
interest in pedant (8) 28 Parliamentarian Sit in the sunlight (8) describing love for Lahore, July 5
18 That place that India fighters were 6 Irishman upset, seaside resort (8) News has reached here of an armed
positive things
claims is owing fighting with my old clenching tense 18 Challenge naughty
following reform (12)
money (2,3,3) man (3,5,4) buttocks (5) child with adapted dacoity in Ferozepur, where a gang of fif-
9 Artist wound hair (9) teen dacoits raided the goods shed at Fer-
19 Perhaps crow or rook 7 When making gun (6)
10 Caught breaking DOWN
legitimate ceasefire
overwhelmed by comeback, Five 20 Extremely dirty and ozepur City station. The two railway
virus (6) 1 Hoped despair might also rope in old unpleasant house (7) police constables stationed there, assisted
(5)
21 City left in the past, be resolved (7) European (8) 22 I can stop
11 Polygynous South
say (4,4) 2 Ultimately pot white, 8 Part of Chevrolet, former golfer by a chowkidar, appear to have rendered
African maybe a very good account of themselves by dri-
23 Take care of legs perhaps, being in for example, showing
swipes to the left,
then all right (6)
connective tissue (6) tangle (5) belonging to strain (5) ving off the raiders and recovering the
26 Polish lecturer in 3 Shop around one to fleeing criminal (6) 24 Revolutionary stolen property. One of the dacoits was
12 Bother over papers
view (5) get alcoholic drink, in 14 Couple on the up procedure
showing fossil (8)
27 Sligo surprisingly principle (9) retreat to get reveals colour shot dead by constable Maula Bakhsh,
13 Shame of semi-nude whom he had attacked with a chhavi. The
welcomes 4 Regret getting naked physical (8) scheme (5)
chap taking ecstasy
(6)
mysterious to get the last word 16 Push to predict lucky 25 Attempt to pack dacoits, attempted to carry off the body of
influential Russians? (4) escape (5,4) new hamper (4) their comrade and Maula Bakhsh, who
was the only man of the police party
armed, fired again with good effect,
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London)
wounding at least one of the remain
dacoits, who then took to their heels.
06 OPINION THE TRIBUNE
JALANDHAR | WEDNESDAY | 6 JULY 2022
The Maha fight for legacy

THE TRIBUNE established in 1881
Can Uddhav stop Shinde from appropriating Bal Thackeray’s brand of politics?
Maratha with political, financial and
social clout in the sugar belt whose
cooperatives are a means of immense
Sena’s new avatar patronage. On the other hand, the

BJP’s presence in Maharashtra is lim-
ited by its inability to grow roots in the
Dynastic politics in decline, parties need to look beyond families sugar belt. Therefore, its best show-
E
ing, as in 2014 in the aftermath of the
VER since the Shiv Sena’s inception in 1966, its name has been RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
Modi ‘wave’, fell short of a majority. It
synonymous with the Thackerays. However, a decade after the SENIOR JOURNALIST projected Narayan Rane — a former
death of its founder and tallest leader Bal Thackeray, winds of Sainik who fell out with Bal Thacker-
T
change have swept the once-powerful family to the sidelines. The Thack- HE BJP and its new ally, the ay, quit, formed his own party and lat-
erays had managed to retain their hold despite the 2005 exit of former Eknath Shinde-led rebel er joined the Congress, and then, the
Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane and Balasaheb’s nephew Raj Thacker- and now dominant faction BJP — as a Maratha leader. Rane,
ay, but the recent revolt by Eknath Shinde — which led to his elevation of the Shiv Sena, passed who’s a factor in the coastal Konkan
as CM — seems to have caused irreparable damage to the dynasty. Shinde both the crucial tests required to region, has not impacted beyond its
has claimed that the rebellion was a fallout of the ‘unfair treatment’ met- consolidate their position in the boundaries. Hence Shinde, also a
ed out to him, a poor reflection on the leadership of ousted CM Uddhav Maharashtra dispensation. IN THE SADDLE: Monday’s trust vote was an affirmation of how the scales Maratha, attracted the BJP. Although
Thackeray. The latter, Bal Thackeray’s youngest son, has accused the First, the coalition elected its own of power have tipped to Shinde’s side. PTI he hails from Satara in western Maha-
BJP of plotting to finish off his party, but he needs to delve into his own Speaker, BJP legislator Rahul Nar- rashtra, he relocated to Thane and
wekar, in a contest that was a breeze started his political career there, men-
lapses that Shinde capitalised on to win over most of the Sena MLAs.
but essential to remove legislative irri-
While Shinde will sit comfortably in the Mantralaya, Uddhav tored by the late Anand Dighe, a
Dynastic politics, termed by PM Modi as a threat to democracy, is
in decline across the country. Two grand old parties, the Congress and
tants, such as reject/revoke the stares at an uncertain future that entails the fate of MVA grassroots leader with a fan following.
appointments of the Uddhav Thack- The BJP hoped to leverage Shinde’s
the Shiromani Akali Dal, both ruled by families, find themselves at eray camp’s men as the leader of the and its ability to hang together in the Opposition. influence in Thane and Satara and
the crossroads after a series of electoral losses. A rare exception is the Sena legislature group and the chief reach out to the Marathas.
Biju Janata Dal, whose current chief, five-time Odisha CM Naveen whip. Narwekar’s election was neces- Uddhav’s standing is almost pincer-
Patnaik, has proved to be a brilliant administrator and a worthy lega- sary to quash the Uddhav faction’s to hang together in the Opposition. Out (with 48 Lok Sabha MPs and 288 legis- like. Over two years into the govern-
tee of his father, Biju Patnaik. Back in the late 1980s, it was MGR’s appeal to disqualify 16 of the over 40 of power, coalitions rarely coexist lators) but also lord over Mumbai, the ment, his colleagues asked whether
political heir J Jayalalithaa who had eclipsed his widow Janaki in the rebel MLAs who crossed over to because the requisite glue — power — beating heart of India’s business and the Sena’s raison d’etre existed
fiercely fought battle for succession in Tamil Nadu. Shinde’s side. Narwekar reinstated is missing. An allied group can come industry. More importantly, after irrev- because, according to them, Uddhav
Even as Uddhav struggles to keep the Thackerays politically rel- Shinde, now the CM, as the Shiv into being closer to an election or after ocably damaging the Congress and softened the rough, almost brutish
evant, the message to all dynasty-centric parties is loud and clear: Sena’s legislature party leader and one when compulsions decree and diminishing its status as the country’s edge of the Sena’s hallmark politics
reinvent yourselves to regain the trust of the masses. Their family recognised the appointment of Bharat power exerts a magnetic pull. principal opposition party, the next and made himself acceptable to a polit-
Gogawale as the party’s chief whip. However, Shinde has a battle to prong of the BJP’s attack are the ically kosher class in Mumbai. His
fixation has given the BJP enough ammunition to accuse them of
Uddhav’s dwindling strength was fight and that is wresting control over regional parties, particularly those immediate concern should be saving
depriving commoners of opportunities to occupy top posts. The
evident in the votes polled to elect the the Sena’s apparatuses existing right whose leaders look the BJP brass in the the Sena from a vertical split and
nomination of tribal leader Droupadi Murmu as the presidential can- Speaker: Narwekar got 164 votes while down to the villages, if he has to get eye. Mamata Banerjee, K Chan- recapturing his father, Bal Thacker-
didate is in sync with the BJP’s policy of rewarding those who have the rival candidate secured 107. Mon- the party’s bow-and-arrow symbol drasekhar Rao, Sharad Pawar and ay’s legacy from passing into Shinde’s
risen through the ranks. At the end of the day, it’s the track record day’s trust vote was even more of an which under the founder, Bal Thack- Uddhav are on the roster of state chiefs hands. Will he abandon the image
that should invariably count, not the DNA or a sense of entitlement. affirmation of how the scales of power eray, denoted a rambunctious brand who must be felled. makeover he had embarked upon and
tipped to Shinde’s side. The Opposi- of politics that Shinde wants to Pawar, the NCP overlord, draws embrace a hardline ideology?
tion, comprising the trio of the Sena restore. It’s not enough for him to strength and sustenance from Maha- The Congress was an add-on to the
remnant, the Nationalist Congress Par- break off the MLAs. rashtra but punching above his weight, MVA, bereft as it is of a leader and an
Road safety ty (NCP) and the Congress which made

up the Maha Vikas Aghadi or MVA, lost
the support of eight more legislators.
From all accounts, Shinde wants to
appropriate Bal Thackeray’s legacy
because that professedly was the rebel-
he has emerged as a national force
who, in the past, successfully confront-
ed his parent party, the Congress, and
organisation. In the opposition, the
MVA constituents, especially the Sena
and NCP, will vie with one another to
Himachal must adopt a targeted programme The Shinde bloc had 40 of the Sena’s lion’s intent. An easier option would be then, made tenuous peace with the safeguard and expand their turf. The
original 56 MLAs who won their seats to merge his faction with the BJP but leaders to keep himself relevant. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora-
T
HE horrific bus accident in Kullu’s Sainj valley is another in alliance with the BJP in the 2019 that’s something neither Shinde nor Pawar’s ‘national’ position ensured tion, Pune, Nagpur, Thane and other
stern reminder for Himachal Pradesh to put an end to the Maharashtra elections. It appears that the BJP want. The BJP has smarted that he figured prominently in an anti- civic polls, which will be held after the
piecemeal approach to road safety. Annually, around 3,000 peo- while Shinde, backed by the BJP, will from the day Uddhav snapped his ties BJP coalition as a philosopher and rains, will be the first test for all the
ple lose their lives in mishaps in the state, a devastating statistic that sit fairly comfortably in Mumbai’s with it and installed himself as the CM guide in recent years. Yet, take away players, particularly the two Sena fac-
should spur a targeted project on road safety, bringing together law Mantralaya, Uddhav stares at an with the help of discrepant allies. The Maharashtra and he’s nothing. tions, to demonstrate who — Uddhav
enforcement, vehicle safety, drivers’ licences and training issues, as uncertain future which entails the fate BJP not only wanted to reclaim a gov- In his home state, Pawar’s source of or Shinde — is Bal Thackeray’s ‘true’
well as post-accident care. Experiencing inclement weather, land- of the MVA and its ability, or otherwise, ernment in a premier political state power emanates from his caste, as a political inheritor.
slides and rockslides are a part and parcel of travel in the hill state,
with an amplified risk of human error. The missing links are ensur-
Some people have all the fun!

ing compliance with traffic rules and zero tolerance for violations, be
it not wearing seat belts or helmets, speeding, dangerous overtaking,
drug use or drunk driving. Poor road engineering and the absence of
crash barriers or parapets exemplify systemic failures.
The recent changes in the Motor Vehicles Act have had an uneven Rajnish Wattas home soon, buddy, the country and Talking of the morning cuppa, there I always thought that greeting one’s
impact, depending on the enforcement ability and will. In New Delhi and Chandigarh need you.’ My staid post is this classy couple who always post life partner in senior years was a pri-
Y
Chandigarh, technological tools have been employed to clamp down on ESTERDAY, when I opened solicited no response. Lake Tahoe is their morning ritual tea service or chho- vate affair. It’s mandatory nowadays to
violators. Getting a driving licence involves a foolproof testing process, my Facebook page for updates, not in Tahiti, but in California, where ta hazri savoured amidst lush-green be not only loving, but also seen doing
and a culture of voluntary compliance has been inculcated. Himachal a friend whom I had met just he has plenty of rishtedars keeping a lawns of their palatial bungalow, with that in the public realm. Some of my
has invested in identifying black spots, stretches, causes, timings and the other day was seen waving from watchful eye on him, and his wife is two or three of their furry cats snugly peers profess their undying romantic
collision types to work out remedies, but the enormity of the task Lake Tahoe. The otherwise sombrely very much with him on holiday. ensconced in the lady’s lap, while the love with Facebook posts, where the
requires a lead agency dedicated to the cause, flush with funds and an dressed legal luminary was sitting by As I scrolled down the page, there ‘Burra saheb’ indulgently feeds a pair husband and wife dress in matching
integrated roadmap that covers all parameters of making driving safer. the waterfront, wearing a floral shirt, was the fitness freak couple who start of Labradors biscuits and rusks. reds, present roses to one another and
Last week, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a a dandelion in his ear, and a straw hat the day with a video of Zumba dance And here, I’m trying to shoo off the post endearing comments. The late
half covering his face from the tropi- or marvellously synchronised callis- street dogs that have jumped across Yash Raj Chopra would have been
sweeping political declaration on global road safety, aimed at reduc-
cal sun. I didn’t even know where thenics. Their amazing fitness regime the hedge. But one has to be wary of envious of such Himalayan scene-
ing road traffic deaths by at least 50 per cent in the next eight years.
Lake Tahoe was. I presumed it was makes me feel like a pitiful, lazy blob the ‘bleeding hearts brigade’ that stealers, dripping with latter-day pas-
Central to the ‘safe system’ approach are sharing and promoting somewhere in Tahiti, where famous of fat who is still in bed lolling around has lately adopted all ferocious sions of love and romance.
evidence-based good practices for addressing key risk factors. The impressionist painter Paul Gauguin waiting for some chai to stir. The cou- canines of the neighbourhood and And here I’m stuck at home, no
highlight was giving the mission a multi-sectoral push. Just posting went looking for artistic inspiration, ple’s recent post is a musical clip feed ‘the poor babies’, and then, travel, no anniversary, no birthday —
a traffic cop makes little difference if the basic issues of licence found Polynesian beauties instead, prancing around a heritage London immediately post the morning’s envious of all Facebook movers and
approval, vehicle registration, appropriate road design, raising got drunk, married and did not telephone booth with its hallmark noble deed on Facebook. shakers. But as they say, ‘They also
awareness and trauma care are not taken care of. return to his Parisian wife for years. postal red. That might have raised an In the meantime, the happy birth- serve who only stand and wait’, or
Fearing the worst, I immediately eyebrow or two of the pin-striped day/anniversary brigade has already rather post emojis of thumbs up,
posted a thumbs up with, ‘Come Britons, walking along Oxford Street. got into motion with mushy greetings. hearts, claps, smileys and festoons!
❝ ❞
thought for the day letters to the editor
The way to have power is to
BJP needs to explain effectiveness in this sector. Punjab the Agniveers’ feeling of being let the writer mentioned his journey to
take it. — Boss Tweed Apropos of ‘Terror taint’, the BJP’s being a small state needs a well har- down is a foregone conclusion. The Texas in a flight and described how
alleged links with terrorists are too monised team of ministers, albeit argument of making their career, the crew showed gratitude for their
serious a matter to be explained away not a big one, to make a difference. after spending crucial years of their military personnel.
casually. The BJP, which never tires of The new ministers might be upbeat life in the military, is unconvincing. NS BISHT, BY MAIL
on this day...100 years ago maligning the Congress for being soft and enthusiastic, but the masses are The government should first think
on terrorists, and extols its own poli- not. They seem to be on a short fuse. of alternatives for the absorption of Service charges
cy of zero tolerance against terror, is This fact should guide the new min- the Agniveers before proceeding The Central government notifica-
embroiled in a curious controversy, isters and the political dispensation with this half-baked scheme. tion barring hotels and restau-
which needs a thorough probe. That to serve the people well. CS MANN, UNA rants from levying service charges
the terrorists wanted to slay the top JAGVINDER SINGH BRAR, PATIALA is a right step. In the absence of
lahore,thursday, july 6, 1922
party leaders is not convincing and Why not in paramilitary? guidelines, the industry has been
seems to be an untenable pretext to Fair representation key Apropos of ‘Apex court to take up fleecing customers. The govern-
Mahatma Gandhi in prison escape accountability. How was Talib Though it is the prerogative of the pleas...’, the court has the right to ment needs to re-look at similar
THE whole of India will learn with regret that while in several other respects Hussain made IT and social media Chief Minister, the yardstick know why no such scheme has anomalies in other industries
Mahatma Gandhi is evidently being treated in prison with the consideration one incharge of the Minority Morcha applied to appoint Cabinet minis- been introduced for the paramili- offering a variety of services, par-
has a right to expect from any Government that calls itself civilised, he is still (Jammu) without verifying his ters is questionable. Bathinda dis- tary forces defending politicians. ticularly the banking and insur-
confined in seclusion which deprives him even of the pleasure of seeing or antecedents? The party must come trict has not been given any repre- The collective budget of various ance sectors. Service charges are
communicating with other prisoners, and is also denied the privilege of reading clean to save its image, apart from sentation, while a subdivision of forces is much more than the being imposed in addition to GST.
newspapers. It is impossible to think of a greater deprivation than this in the case safeguarding national security. The Mohali, Kharar, now has a minis- armed forces and with marginal The Finance Ministry and the RBI
of a person who only a few weeks ago was perhaps the busiest public man in the government will have to render a ter. The Aam Aadmi Party should impact on national security. The should take cognisance to end the
whole country and was in constant and direct touch not with thousands or tens cogent and plausible explanation to be mindful of the needs and Agnipath scheme doesn’t enjoy double dose of charges.
of thousands but with hundreds of thousands of his people. If it is not meant as a maintain its grandstanding on requirements of the people, and the approval of Parliament, and ANIL VINAYAK, AMRITSAR
punishment, we should like to know what it is. And in this respect, Mahatma national security concerns. not lose contact with them. hence, is unconstitutional in its
Gandhi is being treated even worse and more harshly than any other leader of ROSHAN LAL GOEL, LADWA CAPT AMAR JEET (RETD), KHARAR present form. Abortion laws
the first rank. All other leaders, as far as we are aware, are allowed to see and BRIG HS GHUMAN (RETD), BY MAIL Refer to ‘Contrasting laws on
communicate in the ordinary way with other prisoners, while one of them, at any Cabinet expansion Guarantee jobs abortion in India, US’; the writer
rate, Pandit Moti Lal Nehru, was allowed to read at least the Pioneer and some The editorial ‘Mann Cabinet expan- Refer to ‘Agnipath is as much Agnipath scheme has boldly dwelt on the sensitive
other Anglo-Indian papers as well as the Leader. We would like to know why in sion’ brings to the fore the relevance about discipline as jobs’; the writer The article ‘Agnipath is as much subject, drawing parallels
this matter the greatest of them all should be treated so differently. It is no use of political perceptions and compul- has painted a rosy picture, ignoring about discipline as jobs’ is an eye- between a ‘regressive’ society
saying that he has not asked for any of the things that the Government has sions. The performance of each min- the stark reality of the youth being opener for those politicians and anti- like ours and a ‘progressive’ US
supplied to him. The question is not whether he has asked for them but whether ister would directly and proportion- left in the lurch after retirement. As Modi elements who are opposing it society. Who is a sinner? Is a sol-
the Government and its officers have been considerate enough to enquire if he ally impact the other ministries, for discipline, the Indian military is and instigating youth. The spirit of dier killing an enemy soldier an
wants them. This is a very usual thing with superintendents of jails when on some of which, particularly the known for its character, integrity the article is convincing, full of patri- assassin? Some paradoxes in this
their daily round they visit prisoners of a particular class and character. Has the health, need this indirect contribu- and endurance. In the absence of otism, practical and a morale boost- context are difficult to answer.
superintendent of the jail to whose courtesy the interviewer pays a fine tribute, tion for showing the much-needed assured employment and pension, er. I experienced goosebumps when HMS NAGRA, FARIDABAD
ever enquired whether Gandhi would like to have a look at any newspaper? It is
inconceivable that he would have declined the offer. Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com
THE TRIBUNE
JALANDHAR | WEDNESDAY | 6 JULY 2022 OPED 07
Hate speeches have a bearing on acts of terror

“love jihad” while the labourer was oners in different countries in the
“begging for his life”. A US study on the ‘Psychology of Journal of Strategic Security. This
Media also said that Regar circulated study of 41 ethnic groups between
two more videos with hate speeches
terrorism’ revealed that terrorists 2015 and 2019 indicated that the
from the Jodhpur Central Jail, asking appeared to be relatively normal motives for joining the IS were
“Hindus to unite against jihadis”. Could high levels of unemployment at
anybody say that this murder was also individuals who indulged in home, previous criminality, sub-
because of any “belief system”? stance abuse, disturbed family
VAPPALA BALACHANDRAN
As a student of terrorism for 46
terrorism due to provocation conditions, parental neglect, dis-
EX-SPECIAL SECRETARY, CABINET SECRETARIAT years, I can say that there is empirical triggered by certain factors crimination and neglect of
evidence that hate speeches have a migrants in the western society. All
O
N July 1, a senior RSS func- direct bearing on acts of terrorism. In which they considered worth such persons fell for the Islamic
tionary disagreed with the 2006, US journalist James Kitfield State’s insidious propaganda.
Supreme Court’s June 30 published an article titled “Al-Qaeda’s
challenging in a way they thought It is because of this that the UN
observation that Nupur Pandemic” in the National Journal appropriate, not necessarily had formulated a strategy and plan
Sharma was “single-handedly respon- quoting Mario Mancuso, a senior Pen- of action on “Hate” speech in May
sible for what is happening in the tagon official, saying: “Global insur- because of their religious belief. 2019. The Secretary-General had
country”. Referring to the brutal mur- gency reacts to Osama bin Laden’s said that the world was seeing a
der of Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya radical ideology almost like distant VITAL: Mitigate hate speech victims’ loss “groundswell of xenophobia, racism
Lal Teli, the functionary said “this Tal- and seemingly disconnected light par- through advocacy and access to justice. PTI and intolerance — including rising
iban incident is not a reaction to some ticles respond in unison to an unseen anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred
provocation” but because of a “mind- wave.” Later, most of the terrorist inci- a huge data base, including books, showing dislike of western-style high- ralised US citizen of Pakistani origin, and persecution of Christians.” The
set and a belief system”. dents took place with Laden’s hate research papers and FBI findings, rise buildings in Cairo. He wanted tradi- attempted to plant a bomb at the paper said international law prohib-
Would the leader say the same thing speeches as “triggers”. which ran into 324 items. The result tional Arab-style buildings. Times Square, New York, on May 1, ited incitement to discrimination,
about a Talibanic/Islamic State (IS)- How did Osama bin Laden trans- culled out by them revealed that there Two more cases could be quoted 2010. Faizal is the son of Air Vice- hostility and violence. Also, hate
style murder of a 48-year-old minority form himself from a school lad, wear- was no common personality profile where the Al-Qaeda did not recruit Marshal Baharul Haq (retd). Sources speech is a very dangerous form of
community labourer in 2017 in the ing English-style prep school uniform that characterises most terrorists. them. They offered themselves to do in Pakistan denied any extremist speech because it explicitly and
same state? On December 8, 2017, at at the “relatively secular Al Thager” — Rather, terrorists appeared to be rela- a “Do it yourself ” pattern to convey links with Faisal or his family. On deliberately “aims at triggering dis-
Rajsamand in Rajasthan, one Sham- the most prestigious school in Jeddah tively normal individuals who indulged a “message”. It had nothing to do October 9, 2010, The Guardian (UK) crimination, hostility and violence,
bu Lal Regar hacked a migrant work- with foreign teachers — and morph in terrorism due to provocation trig- with their religion or belief. said that Faizal was very resentful of which may also lead to or include
er to death and burnt his body. It was into a “terrorist preacher”, as gered by certain factors which they con- On Christmas Eve in December the continued US bombing of Pak- terrorism or atrocity crimes.”
later revealed that the victim, an described by Steve Coll, who had cat- sidered worth challenging in a way they 2009, 23-year-old Nigerian boy Umar istan’s tribal areas which had killed The UN action plan involves 13
unskilled labourer and father of three alogued his destructive activities all thought appropriate, not necessarily Abdul Mutallab attempted to ignite 411 people in Waziristan in 2009 points on which the UN and mem-
girls, was living in Rajasthan for the over the world? Research into terror- because of their religious belief. an “Underwear Bomb” on a North- through 47 drone attacks. ber states are advised to act. This
past 12 years. He had planned to ism has revealed that terrorists are not An interesting theory which emerged west 253 flight, flying from Amster- Detailed studies even on Islamic includes mitigating the impact of
return to West Bengal to organise the insane or irrational people with symp- was that terrorism was a form of “politi- dam to Detroit. His father was a very State violence have revealed that it hate speech through advocacy and
wedding of one of his daughters. toms of psychopathology. cal communication”, not necessarily to rich Nigerian banker. Umar had is their attractive propaganda rather access to justice for the victims. In
Like the dreaded Islamic State, In 2004, the University of South capture power. This was found true of studied in the prestigious University than religion which was the basis of this respect, a thought arises: Why
Regar made a ghoulish video of the Florida commissioned a mammoth several cases of terrorism later. Even the College, London. He gravitated into their easy recruitment. In 2020, the was the Delhi Police hesitating to
brutal murder with the help of his study on the “Psychology of terror- chief Egyptian 9/11 terrorist, Moham- violence, influenced by Anwar al- International Center for the Study take action against Sharma’s hate
minor nephew and uploaded it on ism” engaging nine experts from var- mad Atta, who studied at Hamburg Uni- Awlaki, a hate preacher, as a protest of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) pub- speech even after the government
social media where he was seen ious disciplines from different coun- versity of Technology, had started his against the US war on terrorism. lished their debriefing done on 220 had disowned it?
accusing the victim of indulging in tries. They based their conclusions on transformation into a terrorist by first Similarly, Faizal Shahzad, a natu- IS “returnees”, defectors, and pris- Views are personal
GST has to resolve anomalies in tax structure

T
HERE are few or no critics of the rate for pencil sharpeners, paper who argue for a single rate have
the Goods and Services Tax knives, printing, writing and draw- been silenced by the argument of
(GST) regime, which had ing ink, power-driven water pumps sin goods versus merit goods, and
been in the formulation and LED lamps have been increased how the two cannot be put under
stage before Prime Minister Naren- from 12 per cent GST to 18 per cent. the same rate. As most people inter-
dra Modi assumed office in 2014; he No questions are asked and no ested in tax issues seem to be enam-
rolled it out with fanfare in July explanations given for the reason oured of GST, no one has critically
2017, after his disastrous demoneti- behind this decision or many others examined the rationale of the idea
PARSA VENKATESHWAR RAO JR
sation measure of November 2016. like this one. Of course, tax adminis- itself and its implementation. It’s
SENIOR JOURNALIST There was a midnight Parliament tration requires constant revision Tamil Nadu Finance Minister
session to mark the passing of the and there are perhaps good and bad Palanivel Thiagarajan who has
GST legislation. Five years later, in reasons for doing so. But the matter expressed his reservations about
An interesting aspect of the the middle of economic uncertainty, is now decided by the GST Council the GST as a system; he talked of
and eight years of the Modi govern- and the committee of finance minis- the states being deprived of the
govt’s thinking on GST is that ment, the GST seems to be a formi- ters that the Council sets up to right to tax and how GST erodes
the country is moving dable landmark, much less in dis-
pute than all the acts of omission
resolve some of the issues.
While there may be transparency
the federal system. Most politi-
cians are afraid to express their
towards tax maximisation, and commission of this government. about the rates and collections, opinion on taxation because they
But even the government is not there is not much of it shifting tax- are intimidated by the subject, and
and from the existing 11% claiming it as an achievement because able items from one slab to another. of course most politicians also do
tax-to-GDP ratio, it could go it is recognised as work in progress A statistical profile of the goods not understand that in a democra-
and that there is much more to be falling under each slab of the GST cy, people must approve the taxes
up to 20% in a few years’ done to call it an accomplished task. WORK IN PROGRESS: The government has shied away from claiming GST as an shows that now 46 per cent of the that any government imposes, and
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman achievement, even as its impact on the federal system of governance has been debated. PTI goods taxed fall in the 18 per cent that the people have a right
time. And on the way, the and her officials in the ministry are slab, which is not exactly in the through the elected representa-
states would be realising only pointing to the little successes An interesting aspect of the gov- 47th GST Council meeting, held in middle of rate spectrum ranging tives to decide on taxation.
like improving tax collection. From ernment’s thinking on GST is that Chandigarh recently, of correcting from 5 per cent to 28 per cent. The GST, conceptualised by bureau-
revenue they seemed to the Rs 1 lakh crore target, it has the country is moving towards tax the anomaly of inverted duty struc- Apparently, in 2017, the 18 per cent crats who have little or no democratic
climbed to Rs 1.4 lakh crore and more, maximisation, and from the exist- ture where the component ele- slab accounted for 33 per cent. So, qualms, and who are more interested
have lost through the new and this increase in number is cited as ing 11 per cent tax-to-GDP ratio, it ments are liable to greater rates people are paying more for more in improving the efficiency of a tax
system. And through the GST evidence that the GST is a success. could go up to 20 per cent in a few than the final product. So, there is goods. Ideally, most goods should system, has created a maze which is
Strangely enough, the government years’ time. And on the way, the an increase in the rates for dairy be in the lower slab of 5 per cent as misleading as the pre-GST tax
Council, a bureaucratic sounds like a corporation, where the states would be realising revenue and milking machines; milk, but- and 12 per cent. There are now 37 structures. But there is a flaw in the
corporation aims at profit maximisa- they seemed to have lost through termilk and curd have now been items in the 28 per cent slab, 636 in GST slab rates as they exist now —
mechanism has been tion as a sign of success, and now the the new system. And through the subjected to GST, as well as forks the 18 per cent, 249 in the 12 per the difference between one rate and
established that seems government takes pride in the fact GST Council, comprising the Union and spoons. The tax calculus cent, 288 in the 5 per cent, and 166 another. There is a difference of 7
that revenue maximisation is the pin- Finance Minister and the State remains all Greek to the ordinary exempted goods. And there is the percentage points between the 5 per
to work out the nitty-gritty nacle of success. Of course, ministers Finance Ministers, a bureaucratic people, but it is a delight for the tax fact that GST is not coterminous cent and 12 per cent rates; 6 percent-
explain now and then that the tax rev- mechanism has been established experts. They remain beyond the with all the taxes and cesses levied age points between the 12 per cent
of tweaking tax rates. enue is being spent for the welfare of that seems to work out the pale of public scrutiny, as well as in the country. and 18 per cent rates; and 10 per-
They call it rationalisation the people. There is also the other inescapable nitty-gritty involved in that of the Parliament and Assem- Optimists point out that it will be centage points between 18 per cent
explanation that tax evasion has been tweaking tax rates. They call it blies which finally have to pass the some years before one can reach the and 28 per cent rates. The rate differ-
of the system. plugged through demonetisation and rationalisation of the system. The necessary legislation. ideal of two rate slabs instead of the ences are a little too glaring to be
the GST, an unverified claim. latest example is the decision at the At the 47th GST Council meeting, present five, and the GST utopians described as rational.
quick crossword su do ku calendar forecast

ACROSS SUNSET: WEDNESDAY 19:28 HRS
JULY 6, 2022, WEDNESDAY
1 Deportment (7)
5 Steep rock-face (5) 6 4 5 ■ Vikrami Samvat 2079
SUNRISE: THURSDAY 05:27 HRS
8 Principally (2,3,4) ■ Shaka Samvat 1944
8 9
9 Person’s destiny (3) ■ Aashadh Shaka 15 Sunny Partly Cloudy Cloudy Rainy Foggy
10 Something owed (4)
■ Aashadh Parvishte 22 CITY MAX MIN
12 Get along well
together (3,2,3) ■ Hijari 1443 Chandigarh 36 29
14 Send out new growth (6)
15 Hiring charge (6)
8 4 7 ■ Shukla Paksha Tithi 7, up to 7:49 pm New Delhi 34 28
17 Australian city (8) ■ Variyan Yoga up to 11:42 am Amritsar 32 27
18 Speak irritably (4)
21 Deserter (3) 9 1 ■ Uttara Phalguni Nakshatra up to 11:44 am
■ Moon in Virgo sign

Bathinda
Jalandhar
33
32
28
27
22 Heavy-handed (3-6)
Ludhiana 32 30
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION
24 Form of propeller (5)
25 Indistinct (7) 1 3 9 2 6 Bhiwani 35 30
8 3 4 2 6 1 7 9 5 Hisar 34 29
DOWN
1 Construct (5)
2 Perform part in play (3)
2 7 7 1 6 9 8 5 4 2 3 Sirsa
Dharamsala
34
25
31
18
3 Separate piece of news (4) 9 2 5 7 3 4 6 1 8
Manali 22 17
4 Free of charge (6)
5 Take into account (8) 7 5 2 5 9 1 8 4 2 3 7 6 Shimla 23 17
6 Unlawfully gained (3-6) 6 4 3 1 5 7 9 8 2 Srinagar 30 20
7 Decisive (7)
11 A lawyer (9)
13 Pantomime (4,4)
6 4 2 8 7 3 9 6 1 5 4
Jammu
Kargil
32
28
25
19
YESTERDAY’S sOLUTION 14 Outlying parts of city (7) 4 6 2 5 1 9 8 3 7 Leh 28 15
Across: 1 Blast-off, 5 Aura, 9 Shark, 10 Athwart, 11 Man of letters, 13 Esteem, 14
Senior, 17 Cook the books, 20 Attempt, 21 Noise, 22 Term, 23 Pentagon.
16 Ill feeling (6)
19 Growing rice (5)
3 8 5 1 7 8 6 2 3 5 4 9 Dehradun 31 24 1
Down: 1 Base, 2 Adamant, 3 Take one’s time, 4 Flatly, 6 Usage, 7 Artistry, 8 Whether or 20 Prima donna (4) Mussoorie 22 19
not, 12 Penchant, 15 Inkling, 16 Settle, 18 Otter, 19 Mean. 3 5 9 4 7 8 2 6 1
23 Excessively (3) HARD TEMPERATURE IN OC

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022

than the 20.6% growth recorded in May, to about $38 handcuﬀed, i.e., an accused on his state (and not the police inspector) suﬃcient to substantiate the fact

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T he financial holding com-

I ate at a real nice family

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is a partner at Trilegal and also

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Freshwater cycle at risk of upset

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called the Partnership for Global Additonally, Gwadar residents have as the Hambantota port, a deep seaport proChina. Over the years, opposition President Xi Jinping, during

during his visits to Kazakhstan and billion in 2015 to around $50 to 55 billion coal power plants to tackle energy stateowned company on a 99year lease What about Bangladesh? BRI is in Pakistan, the China

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