Two Decades of Reforms- where are the gains?

These days the political parties do not easily miss out on anniversaries. But one anniversary the Congress has failed to celebrate is the 2^nd anniversary of reforms. Whatever be the reasons behind the Congress not celebrating it, let’s look at what we have achieved since the introduction of reforms way back in July 1991.

Mr Manmohan Singh, the then Finance Minister, in his budget speech declared that his new government had inherited an economy with such problems like the balance of payments crisis, high fiscal deficit and high inflation. He thought the reforms were the answer for India’s economic well being and thus ushered in an era of economic liberalization. But, what have we achieved through the reforms? 

The fall and rise with corruption

The recent election results in four states and one union territory have definitely given us a glimpse of an increasing intolerance and a growing public anger against corruption. Therefore, based on these results we could say that a corrupt and/or arrogant government (Tamilnadu, West Bengal) has a limited life span whereas a government that focuses on good governance and development (Bihar, Assam) gets an extended life span.

If it is true that corruption brings down a government what about Karnataka? The results from the recent bye elections in Karnataka indicate that a government can rise, not necessarily fall, and even thrive in spite of being the most corrupt state!

So,

It is possible, as the government in Karnataka has shown, to even rise and thrive despite being corrupt. Or should we just ignore these bye election results considering them relatively insignificant? Or should we say that it is only during the Assembly elections a corrupt government is brought down? 

No easy answers! 

Hopefully the governments in other states, including Karnataka, would learn some lessons and focus instead on issues of good governance and development to increase their lifespan.

Let us also hope that there will always be a fall and no rise, of any government, with corruption!

Japanese lessons- are we ready to learn?

The tragedies in Japan caused by earthquake and tsunami have left us all shocked. At the same time they also have taught us many lessons. Probably many would have received a mail titled ‘‘Ten things to learn from Japan’’. Those who haven’t received it can find it below.

(Ten things to learn from Japan

1. THE CALM

Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY

Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

 3. THE ABILITY

The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE

People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

 5. THE ORDER

No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

 6. THE SACRIFICE

Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS

Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING

The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

 9. THE MEDIA

They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE

When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly)

No doubt, these are sublime lessons for our times. But let’s also not forget to learn some lessons from the nuclear disaster. Already it has led to a general dislike towards nuclear power despite the fact that many of the European countries meet over 50% of their electricity requirements through nuclear energy. Even former President Abdul Kalam has called for a safety review at all nuclear plants.

The nuclear disaster in Japan ought to compel us to revisit our nuclear power policy. More importantly, given the adverse cost-benefit ratio and the adverse risk-benefit ratio involved in nuclear power it is indeed time to switch off nuclear power permanently and pursue alternative sources of power.

Are we ready to learn from Japan?

India- the land of rising deficits?

Fiscal deficit, current account deficit, development deficit, education deficit, health deficit, governance deficit, ethical deficit- Has India become a land of rising deficits? It seems to be. Or else how do we explain these ever increasing deficits and non-existing surpluses? Wait. Who said non-existing surpluses? What about our surplus population (which is set to overtake China by 2050) and surplus poverty (don’t we have more poor than Africa)? Well, these are definitely not the surpluses that we can be proud of. What we require is development surplus which flows from better governance or governance surplus.

Sadly, our post-reform era hasn’t witnessed a greater commitment to either reducing or eliminating any of these deficits. This is evident from our low rankings in the Human Development Index (HDI) for the past few years. Furthermore, in terms of the improvement in the HDI index we have grown at a slower pace in the reform process that began in 1990 than in the decade prior to reforms.  

If India is to be counted as a performing and functioning democracy, and not merely a namesake democracy, then we need to draw inspiration from the ‘jasmine revolution’ and replicate it in our own land by overthrowing the politicians and bureaucrats who have caused or perpetuated these deficits. 

This is real conversion!

Mr Mahendra Kumar, the man behind the church attacks in coastal Karnataka, was first disowned by the sangh parivar. Now he exposes the evil designs of the sangh parivar. Wonder if any of those who carried out his orders to damage/destroy the places of worship would now listen to his orders towards a conversion of heart! It is nevertheless heartening to see the man opting for a real conversion!

It’s Karnataka Rajyotsava- but what shall we celebrate?

It was on November 1, 1956 that the State of Karnataka was formed and every year on this day the State celebrates its birthday. Supposedly, it’s a time to celebrate State’s achievements. But what achievements can the present government boast of? Should we celebrate as the BJP government has ‘managed’ to win the trust vote? Or should we celebrate because the government has ‘managed’ to find 162 persons for Rajyotsava awards? If the former has, at least temporarily, freed us from political instability, the latter hasn't been free from controversy either. It is indeed sad that this present government cannot boast of any better achievement/s .

As the most corrupt State, with pathetic roads and severe power shortage, by forcibly displacing the farmers and by letting loose the Hindu fundamentalists, State’s failures have obviously outnumbered its feats and have pushed this State backward.

‘Congress cannot make Karnataka another Gujarat only the BJP can’ thundered Narendra Modi when he visited this State in 2008. It is true that the BJP government has selectively tried to replicate the Gujarat model by communally dividing this State but its a pity that it hasn’t embraced the development model of Gujarat.

Once a peaceful, politically stable Karnataka State has now turned into a hotbed of political chicanery and corruption of the lowest kind. Will this State soon join the ranks of BIMARU (acronym for backward states- Bihar, MP, Assam, Rajasthan, UP) States?

Why is India reluctant to improve its ‘PHC’ index?

In the case of India, what do poverty, hunger and corruption (phc) have in common? The common factor is that poverty, hunger and corruption have been rising rapidly! It is really deplorable that India’s non-commitment to curb its 'phc' has pushed down its ratings to levels lower than many other developing countries.

The multidimensional poverty index shows that 55 per cent of India’s population is poor. The global hunger index has placed India even below China and Pakistan. The corruption perception index puts India at the 87^th place out of 178 countries. These alarming indicators have reduced India to a poor, hungry and corrupt (phc) nation.

Why have our many ‘economic miracles’ like the surpluses failed to get us healed of these treatable and curable diseases? Is the bureaucratic-politician nexus holding this country hostage? I think so long as we do not rip this nexus apart, which considers government as a lucrative business, India cannot escape from this ‘phc’ tag.

Can we put our hopes in the young political leaders to redeem this country from the clutches of greedy politicians and bureaucrats and help this country rid of its ‘phc’ tag?

Is the rest of India ready to vote these greedy people out and let ‘youngisthan’ enter the corridors of power to improve its 'phc' index?    

What is the Colour of Terror?

With the BJP and its right wing allies still sulking over the use of ‘saffron terror’, they have yet again let off an opportunity to rid themselves of the tag of ‘communal parties’ and thus further exposed and confirmed their non-commitment to and belief in secularism. Given their history (of repeated vulnerability to a secular ideology!) one cannot expect these right wing parties to accept even the existence of saffron terror, leave alone condemn it. On the other hand, the behaviour of the Congress party is also equally distressing. Instead of extending full support to the Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, the party has distanced itself from ‘saffron terror’ remarks and has been trying to play it down and safe. All this has left many people wondering as to whether the Congress is really committed to reigning in saffron terror or is it only engaging in empty rhetoric.

Amidst this drama, where we see a coexistence of both denial to accept the existence of saffron terror (BJP and its right-wing allies) and of playing down the threat of saffron terror (Congress), one person that stands out is Mr Sharad Pawar who, I thought, at least once has spoken some sense! Though he should not to be spared of his share of criticism (for neglect of agriculture which has not been his priority even though he is the Minister for Agriculture and for the corruption in BCCI-IPL), he definitely deserves applause for saying- ‘ If ‘green terror’ is fine with them, why should ‘saffron terror’ upset them so much? Isn’t green too a colour in our national flag?

So what really is the colour of terror? Is it saffron or green or white?

It shouldn’t be forgotten that terrorism by any name is still terrorism. More importantly these colours are part of our national flag and any instance of whether saffron terror or green terror (even white terror!) amounts to tarnishing the national flag. It is really shameful that we aren’t really passionate about protecting our national flag and have allowed it to be tarnished by different terror groups.

When will we let our national flag fly more often and in many places than saffron flag or green flag or white flag?

The Dangerous Rise of Saffron Terrorism

The Home Minister, Mr P Chidambaram, while meeting the state police chiefs in New Delhi has expressed serious concern about the rise of 'saffron terrorism' led by radical Hindu groups. He has rightly advised the state police chiefs to be more vigilant. He deserves commendation for having highlighted this rising phenomenon. This observation, from the Union Home Minister, comes in the wake of a dangerous rise in the terror attacks linked to various saffron groups.
The Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad (2007), Ajmer Sharif Dargah blast (2007), Malegaon blasts (2008) and Goa blasts (2009) are some of the terror attacks linked to different saffron groups.
Besides, the saffron involvement can also be traced to the attacks on Christians in Orissa and in the church attacks in different parts of Karnataka.
Obviously this should have led to an all party consensus to restrict the further damage to the secular and democratic credentials of this nation. Unfortunately, the BJP and the Shiv Sena have objected to the use of 'saffron terror', which is a matter of grave concern. Unless the BJP and the other right wing parties stop being soft on these radical groups and distance themselves from such groups, there is bound to be more discord and disharmony.
Though one expects these police chiefs to take stringent action against those individuals and groups who spread hatred and cause division in the name of religion, it would largely be a 'mission impossible' in States ruled by governments that are perceived to be soft towards these saffron groups.
Anyone still hopeful of a change in a state like Karnakata?

Happy or Unhappy Independence Day?

It's 64 long years since we got ourselves freed from the British raj. This long journey is laden with ups and downs. We can certainly feel happy and be proud of our great achievements- increase in life-expectancy, literacy rate and Gross Domestic Product. We are now among the elite trillion dollar economies. India has produced world class scientists, engineers, journalists, doctors, sportspersons, artists, industrialists, actors and politicians who have left an indelible mark on the world stage. We have a lot of billionaires and there are at least 56 Indian firms which are among the world's 2,000 most powerful listed companies. Lately, with a new rupee symbol India has joined the club of few elite nations to have a unique identity for their currency. But this progress has been asymmetrical. The country is still plagued by corruption, poverty, communalism and other human rights abuses. Haven’t many of our billionaires made money by their proximity to government?

If the British looted this country prior to the Independence, today our own politicians, bureaucrats and corporates are looting this country through their unholy nexus. The situation of farmers, Dalits, minorities and the poor is indeed deplorable. All over the country many farmers are rendered homeless and their fertile agricultural land is acquired for industrial expansion. There are growing cases of atrocities against the Dalits and Minorities in different parts of the country. According to the Multi dimensional Poverty Index there are more poor people (421 million) in eight Indian states- Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal- than in the 26 poorest African countries combined (410 million). 

In this context, can we really wish these homeless farmers, Dalits, minorities and poor of this country ‘Happy Independence Day?’

Only with a stronger political will and a resolute commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution the entire nation can think of celebrating ‘Happy Independence Day’ on the 15th of August, every year. Or else it would continue to be a ‘Happy Independence Day’ for the few billionaires of this country and an ‘Unhappy Independence Day’ for the rest of the Indians.

MSEZ might crushes yet another farmer!

Until recently Gregory was a passionate farmer, happily cultivating over 50 kinds of agriculural n horticultural products in his 15 acre land. He was also equally passionate about protecting his land from the likes of Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) who were eying his fertile land for their industrial expansion. As the vice president of the Bala Panchayat, he was also very keen on preventing the acquision of fertile agricultural land in his village and thus he would go around to advise many of his neighbours not to yield to the pressures of MSEZ and not to sell their fertile agricultural land. He was sad that many of his neighbours had succumbed to either the pressures or the attractive packages of the MSEZ and sold off their fertile agricultural land. Even when many his neighbours collected their compensation by selling their fertile land, he remained as one of the very few defiant faces in the area not yielding to either the pressures or attractive packages offered by the MSEZ. Needless to say, his defiance earned him many friends and enemies too. Many were fascinated by his passion for agriculture (at a time when many were distancing from it) and also by his courage to take on the mights of MRPL and MSEZ. On some occasions he had even been invited to some seminars that discussed the pros and cons of MSEZ and he also appeared in local tv channels explaining his stand against MSEZ. He even featured in NDTV. (watch it here). Also read my earlier post titled 'braving the onslaught of MSEZ' here.

All that has changed now. On 28th April, KIADB officials demolished his house rendering him homeless. Though it should have made national news, sadly only a few papers reported this inhuman incident. (i had even sent a message in twitter to Barkha Dutt (of NDTV fame!) to cover this issue but probably the message has not reached her yet!). For those interested in going through some of the newspaper links click here, here, here, here and here.
Good to note that even daijiworld reported this incident, which was a huge surprise. As i had written in my earlier post, daijiworld had all along appeared to be promoting MSEZ and to find this incident in the pages of daijiworld was a great surprise. Moreover, tvdaijiworld had even uploaded a video. Hats off to daijiworld and tvdaijiworld.

Personally, i am sad that there was no church official either to express solidarity with the family or to condemn this gross violation of human rights. On the other hand, i was happy that at least a swamiji was around to express his solidarity and to condemn this attack. 

Now what is next for this family? The family claims that the demolition was carried out illegally without serving them any notice, without giving them alternate accommodation and sufficient time to shift their valuables. The family also claims that many of their valuables like money and gold have been stolen. With the family refusing to move out from the place it appears that the family is determined (rightly so) to carry on the fight. 

Will this family get justice? or will this incident be soon forgotten to prove yet again that in India only might is right? 

First they came- a revolutionary poem by Martin Niemoller

This is a popular poem which is attributed to the German Pastor Martin Niemoller. I find this truly revolutionary. It perfectly fits into our present context, especially Karnataka where we have witnessed a series of attacks on the Christians, Muslims, Women and Dalits. Its time to believe that 'silence is crime'. Hopefully this poem would motivate all these groups to come together and fight the divisive and hate ideology of the present government.

THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Decoding Daijiworld's loyalty to MSEZ!

Time and again I have been baffled by daijiworld's style of reporting on the controversial MSEZ. It appears as though the daijiworld is blind to the excesses, read abuses/highhandedness, of MSEZ. If not, how else would one explain the selective reporting on the MSEZ that (so easily and frequently!) gets squeezed into daijiworld's pages? 

Let me elaborate. Lets take for example the very recent public audit of the MSEZ. This was indeed 'newsworthy' for Deccan Herald and mangalorean.com among others and not for daijiworld, even when people like Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar were part of the programme! But strangely (or selectively) daijiworld reported the disrtribution of property title deeds just a day prior to this public audit. Its not that this didn't deserve publicity. But my point is why daijiworld attempted to be selective in its reporting on the MSEZ? Now if daijiworld were to be fair and unbiased in its reporting, what prevented it from reporting on the public audit of MSEZ? Is it because the audit took place on a sunday (read holiday) and therefore daijiworld didnt have men/women to cover the event? 

When we dig deeper into the pages of daijiworld, the extensive reporting on MSEZ becomes all the more evident. Thanks to Ms Florine Roche, MSEZ has made it to the pages of daijiworld in diverse ways- interview with the MD and Chief Executive Officer, interview with the Cheif Opearating Officer , report on the R and R colony and many others. At the same time, one wonders why daijiworld has not carried any report on the farmers' struggles/protests, or interviews with the farmers? Even NDTV carried a report on an illustrious farmer from Kalavaru, Mr Gregory Patrao, who has proved to be a real threat for the MSEZ expansion.

Well, it is said that a problem/issue has three sides- the victor's side, victim's side and the right side! Hasn't daijiworld's loyalty to the MSEZ deprived the legitimate space for the other two sides?

Drought of justice and flood of funds!

Here is a great article by P. Sainath which reviews the misplaced priorities and policies of the government. He brings to light the corporate -friendly policies of the government on the one hand and on the other the sheer neglect of the socially disadvantaged groups .
Well, what happened to the government's promise of inclusive growth?

Wondering who is really a Criminal?

The recent cabinet decision to withdraw the criminal cases against the supporters of the Reddy Brothers (RBs) has left the concerned citizens confused and shocked. If you are still asking questions, the home minister Mr Acharya has the answers. Here is what he said about the decision to drop criminal cases against the supporters of the RBs. This in a way sums up the law and order situation in Karnataka.

The Farmers and the Dalits in different parts of this State have been slapped with number of criminal cases. But the pity is that the arms of justice (read as the arms Home Minister and His team) do not reach them as easily as they have reached the RBs and their supporters. Look at the paradox- the farmers have no right to protest against the land acquisition (eg Bellary for Airport, Bangalore for NICE and SEZ, Mangalore for SEZ) or against the inadequate supply of agricultural inputs (eg farmers protests against inadequate supply of fertilizers Haveri) but the supporters of RBs can even destroy a two-century old temple because it came in the way of their mining business.

How can the needs of the Farmers and the Dalits take precedence over the greed of RBs? For the farmers it may be a question of physical survival but for the BJP it is a question of political survival!

Well, it depends who is a criminal in this State and who can get the criminal cases dropped against one’s name....

But Farmers, Dalits and Minorities beware!

Welcome to the Sick Capital of Sick State!

‘Health is wealth’ goes a popular saying. Given the present circumstances, the people of Karnataka and more specially the Bangaloreans would not hesitate to go around shouting this slogan. As in the case of money the people realize the importance of health in its absence. ‘Don’t fall sick if you are in Bangalore’ was the headline in one of the dailies. Such is the seriousness of the deteriorating health situation in the capital city.

Recently the World Health Organization declared H1N1 flu as the first pandemic of the 21^st century. The ‘daily dose’ of suspected cases of swine flu being reported in Bangalore makes the situation even more alarming. As if this was not enough some city hospitals have been served closure notices by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for failing to set up effluent treatment plants (ETPs) in their premises!

Remember city’s health woes have deeper roots. Swine flu is only a latest entry! Chikungunya has spread its wings to many corners of the city already. There are reports that anybody who goes to a clinic with fever is said to be affected by Chikungunya. Doctors love a sick city.

The questions remain. Don’t the poor deserve better facilities in the hospitals that are supposed to cater to them? How can the ailing healthcare fight swine flu?

Is creation of additional wards for BBMP more important than providing decent healthcare? When will the government wake up to address these pressing issues?

Wealthy God and poor gods!

It has been reported that Mr Janardhan Reddy (now on JR) celebrated his birthday by donating a diamond-studded gold crown estimated to be worth Rs 450 million (45 crore) to the famous Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati. What a noble gesture from a man who is said to be a great devotee of Lord Veknkateshwara and a frequent visitor to the famous place. Apart from being a minister in Karnataka, his mining operations have taken him closer to the neighboring Andhra Pradesh.

See this against the background of the now publicly known cold war between the Chief Minister of Karnataka and the ‘rich and powerful’ Bellary Reddy brothers. The dissatisfaction leading to ‘distancing’ in one state (Karnataka) and the ‘closeness’ driven donation taking place in another state (Andhra Pradesh)! Another factor is the Ministry of Environments and Forestry (MoEF) is conducting a survey of mining lease areas. Would this mean an end of ‘win-win’ situation for these two states? Yes, only Lord Venkateshwara would know it.

Speculations aside, we are bothered by some basic questions. What is the income tax department doing? Are JR and his Reddy brothers paying income tax at all? What are the sources of their income and more particularly what is the source of JR’s 45 crore gift to Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi? Would the Lokayukta ever get into the ‘reddy fortress’ in Bellary to expose their ill-gotten assets?

It is one thing to see the rich increasing in number and quite another to see the increase in the riches of a few. Indeed, Lord Vekateshwara would have been happier to see many gods (Human beings) becoming richer than to see the riches of just one God (Lord Venkateshwara)! How can a rich God be happy in a poor country?

Read this related article by Anand Soondas.

Is India a Flailing State??

India is a land of paradoxes! Poverty amidst plenty, high growth rates Vs poor development indicators, surplus food production Vs high starvation deaths, world famous educational institutions Vs pathetic literacy rates and this list is endless. This paradox is captured by well known economist Joan Robinson who said ‘Whatever you can rightly say about India, the opposite is also true’.

In this interesting article Lant Pritchett introduces a new category to refer to India, namely, ‘flailing state’, by which he means “a nation-state where the head, that is, the elite institutions at the national (and in some states) level remain sound and functional but this head is no longer reliably connected via nerves and sinews to its own limbs”.

He refers to the rampant absenteeism, indifference, incompetence, corruption in police, tax collection, education, health, power and water supply- in nearly every routine service!

What shall we say about the move to increase the number of elite institutions like IIMs, IITs in India? Would this bridge the gap between the head and the limbs or would it lead to further alienation of the limbs from the head?

Birthday and the Birthday Message....

It is ‘birthday’ time for the ruling party in Karnataka as it completes one year. And we find the government blowing its own trumpet, well almost as a team (though seven ministers were missing)! Though there are contrasting views on the ‘why’ of this celebration, the more important question is about the cost of this celebration. Does the government really care for the taxpayers’ money? Would the citizens ever come to know the total expenditure incurred on this celebration?

The Chief Minister and his team should know that the people will judge a government not on the basis of its promises but on the basis of its performance. The BJP government headed by Mr B S Yeddyurappa did make a lot of promises. But an assessment of its performance reveals many unpleasant things like church attacks, pub attack and sporadic incidents of communal violence and these are not the kind things any government will be proud of.

Even if we excuse the government for all its failures of one year, however grave the mistake by the government and however difficult to excuse the government for it, the uncertainty remains whether such unpleasant events would recur or would such unpleasant events disappear and pave the way for a better and peaceful Karnataka? Would the remaining years too turn out to be equally futile? Would the government, in future too, be found celebrating its achievements which weren’t there?

Mr Chief Minister you have said that the people have given you a birthday gift in the form of 19 loksabha seats. What is going to be your gift to the people of Karnataka for the next four years? Remember not to spend the taxpayers’ money for redundant and needless practices like ‘anniversary celebrations’, ‘gangajal distribution’ or ‘pilgrimage subsidy’ but for nobler causes like healthcare, education, poverty alleviation and employment generation.

Celebrating the Release of the Prisoner of Conscience…

When Dr Binayak Sen was still in prison, noted film maker Anand Patwardhan wrote an article describing Dr Binayak Sen as the prisoner of conscience. Given the circumstances that led to his arrest it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him so. It has been a week since his release and all over the world the human rights activists are elated that the two year old ordeal has ended for this man who worked for no hidden agenda other than the agenda of peace.

This country is not unknown for illegal arrests of citizens who dared to speak against the state. As admitted by Dr Sen himself there are hundreds of such heroic souls languishing in the corners of jails throughout the world. The gross human rights violations, perpetrated by the State, would have gone unnoticed but for these noble men and women who risked their lives to expose such abuses.

Dr Sen has repeatedly said that he is not a Naxal sympathizer. In an interview which he gave while he was still in jail, he makes it clear that he doesn’t endorse violence whether by the State or the Naxals. Again in another interview which he gave after his release from the jail, he says that he was targeted by the State government primarily for criticizing the Salwa Judum and encounter deaths. A clear mismatch between the crime and punishment!

Indeed Dr Sen’s release is a victory to the organizations that speak out against the human rights violations perpetrated by the state but it remains to be seen whether this would put an end to state’s excesses in the name of putting an end to Naxalism!