Tuesday, July 26, 2011, Chandigarh, India

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NEWS AND VIEWS PUNJA !A"#ANA JA$$U % &AS!$I" !I$AC!A' "E(I)NA' "IE*S NATI)N )PINI)NS 'ETTE"S USINESS SP)"TS W)"'D

EDIT)"IA'S

Cradles ,- negle./
All 0,r1, li//le 2ay in angan0aris THE efficacy of even the most ambitious government programmes depends on the willing participation of the employees who come in direct contact with the intended beneficiaries. The people who disseminate the fruits of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS among the e!pectant and nursing mothers and children below si! years are anganwari wor"ers.

SPECIA' C)VE"A(E C!ANDI(A"! 'UD!IANA DE'!I

Un0arran/ed .,n/r,3ersy
Ti4e /, -,.us ,n /ea.hing a/ Darul Ul,,4 $#$%#&# 'hulam (ohammed )astanvi came to Darul $loom on the promise of change. The first non*alumnus to be appointed (ohattamim ()ice*Chancellor + he wanted to ma"e the curriculum more broad*based+ and he wanted the Islamic community to focus on the future.

T!E T"I UNE SPECIA'S +0 #EA"S )* INDEPENDENCE TE"CENTENA"# CE'E "ATI)NS

EA"'IE" ST)"IES $I"A(ES AND P")$ISES July 2+, 2011 T!E INDIAN $I'ITA"#5S )**ICE" C"ISIS July 26, 2011 The 7i//er !egde 2ill July 28, 2011 Pa1is/an5s & ,7sessi,n July 22, 2011 US .,44i/4en/ July 21, 2011 !,2e re3i3es ,n (ST July 20, 2011 Dar9eeling A..,rd July 1:, 2011 Cr,ssing /he line July 1;, 2011 "igh/s % 0r,ngs ,- 3igilan/is4 July 1<, 2011 $a=i4u4 res/rain/ July 16, 2011

Dis2u/es ,3er land

*ar4ers5 .,nsen/ desira7le '#&D deals are running into trouble not only in $ttar ,radesh but also in Haryana and ,un-ab+ where the supposedly farmer*friendly governments are ta"ing a hard line on land ac.uisition. The (ayawati government had used the emergency clause to ta"e over farmers/ land originally for industry but handed it over to builders.

Th,ugh/ -,r /he Day

A"TIC'E

A3,ida7le 0as/age ,- -,,d

7y S>S> J,hl

P,,r handling, .,rru2/i,n raise /he .,s/

A)E0#'ES+ percentages+ rates of growth+ indices+ inflation rates

etc are the statistics that hide more than they reveal. These are convenient for mundane -ustifications and sometimes are used to deliberately mislead the public or whosoever they are addressed to. 1or e!ample+ averages do not represent any of the individual figures.
$IDD'E

Un1e42/ heigh/s
7y "a9an Chugh

A&I% 2apoor and yours truly are credited to have started the trend
of (3*4 day stubble. Since 5 out 67 people+ especially the purists+ who meet such fol"s with a stubble thin" that the latter may not be feeling too well 8 down with fever etc 8 it ta"es a lot of courage to loo" what you li"e to loo".
)PED DE*ENCE

&argil War? Need /, learn s/ra/egi. less,ns

(eneral @"e/dA V P $ali1

)& the 69th #nniversary of the 2argil war+ it would be appropriate

to reflect on the "ey strategic lessons of the war and the geo* political changes that have come about in the 2argil*Siachen* %ada"h Sector since then.

C,rre./i,ns and .lari-i.a/i,ns

EDIT)"IA'S

Cradles ,- negle./
All 0,r1, li//le 2ay in angan0aris

THE efficacy of even the most ambitious government programmes

depends on the willing participation of the employees who come in direct contact with the intended beneficiaries. The people who disseminate the fruits of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS among the e!pectant and nursing mothers and children below si! years are anganwari wor"ers. :ut a ,lanning Commission study has pointed out that they are an ignored+ dissatisfied lot because the governments refuse to give them their due. Till recently+ the Centre was giving them only 0s 6+477 per month which was ultimately increased to 0s 3+777. The states were supposed to top up their monthly salary by another 0s 6+777+ but have been miserly in releasing this ;princely< sum. #s a Tribune report pointed out+ :ihar+ &agaland and #runachal pay them nothing+ while (eghalaya pays only 0s 47 a month+ as if the health of the children is solely the responsibility of the Centre. The plight of anganwari helpers is even worse with a salary of only 0s 6+477. #nganwaris themselves are in a state of utter neglect. Si!ty per cent of them do not have safe drin"ing water or toilet facilities. Seventyfive per cent do not have "itchen facilities and coo"ed food is left e!posed to ha=ardous materials. Eightyfour per cent of the centres in Haryana are unclean> not even one of those surveyed in ,un-ab had clean toilets. ?nly a brave mother or child would venture to go to such a place. @ith thousands of crores of rupees being poured into the ICDS+ the anganwaris can still be turned around+ if only the governments show some compassion for the famished children. The stench of neglect was all*pervasive in the 6+477 anganwaris surveyed between 977A and 9775+ but there were e!ceptions. The Daduma-ra centre in Chandigarh stood out as an island of e!cellence delivering nutrition+ health and pre*school education efficiently. That shows that there is nothing wrong with the scheme per se. It/s only the implementation which has gone horribly wrong.

Un0arran/ed .,n/r,3ersy

Ti4e /, -,.us ,n /ea.hing a/ Darul Ul,,4

$#$%#&# 'hulam (ohammed )astanvi came to Darul $loom on

the promise of change. The first non*alumnus to be appointed (ohattamim ()ice*Chancellor + he wanted to ma"e the curriculum more broad*based+ and he wanted the Islamic community to focus on the future. The Islamic seminary+ which dates bac" to 6ABB+ holds a pre*eminent place for Sunni (uslims+ and its teachings and religious edicts have wide following. )astanvi/s ;misstep<+ his allegedly praising the development wor" done in 'u-arat under Chief (inister &arendra (odi/s stewardship+ something he denied later+ raised tempers within the campus and in the (uslim community at large. It eventually cost him his -ob. @hile there is no doubt that the administrators of Darul $loom were meticulous in following procedure in removing the )ice*Chancellor+ who seriously mis-udged the sentiments of the community he sought to provide leadership to+ political machinations have also been widely reported. Darul $loom has a long history of guiding (uslims+ in India and outside+ by providing them with clear interpretations about the teachings of Islam. (any of its fatwas have earned high praise for their secular orientation and clarity of thought. # change of head in this institution will be an occasion to re*e!amine its priorities and ma"e it more effective in dealing with the demands of a modern pluralistic world. The )astanvi controversy has put the onus on the new administrator to show that he can+ indeed+ rise up to meeting the challenges of an ever*changing society and show how change that was sought to be effected by his predecessor will continue. It is time for Darul $loom to focus on teachings and their dissemination to students+ so that they continue to interpret Islam in the true sprit of the religion.

*ar4ers5 .,nsen/ desira7le

Dis2u/es ,3er land

'#&D deals are running into trouble not only in $ttar ,radesh but

also in Haryana and ,un-ab+ where the supposedly farmer*friendly governments are ta"ing a hard line on land ac.uisition. The (ayawati government had used the emergency clause to ta"e over farmers/ land originally for industry but handed it over to builders. The Supreme Court recently scrapped some of these deals+ helping farmers but hurting home buyers+ who too are crying for a fair deal. (ore such cases from 'reater &oida are pending with the Supreme Court. Encouraged by favourable court rulings+ farmers are challenging deals in which they feel they have been short*changed.

%and prices shoot up once housing or commercial pro-ects are announced and farmers feel cheated. ,un-ab too is in the thic" of farmer unrest. The government used e!cessive force on Saturday to ac.uire AA7 acres in (ansa district for a thermal power plant to be built by a private company. Some C77 farmers were arrested. The administration claims more than 57 per cent of the land*owners had ta"en the agreed price. :ut rehabilitation terms are being rewor"ed everywhere and relief is also considered for farm wor"ers. In Haryana the government decision to ta"e over farmers/ land for setting up a nuclear plant at 'or"hpur is being contested by the affected farmers. Here+ the price of land or .uantum of compensation is not as much in dispute as the very location of a nuclear power pro-ect+ which villagers feel could be detrimental to their well*being. Ideally+ before launching a pro-ect+ villagers/ consent should be ta"en+ especially if the merits or benefits of the pro-ect are disputed in addition to a reasonable rehabilitation pac"age. The government is legally empowered to forcibly ta"e over land for a public purpose. :ut it is under pressure from courts and the public to ma"e terms of the deal fair and -ust. The draft of the new Central :ill on land ac.uisition reflects this sentiment and limits government intervention to 97 per cent+ which means A7 per cent of the land* owners must agree to willingly part with their landholding. 'overnments should also e!ercise restraint and tact in dealing with emotive land issues+ which could flare up if mishandled.

Th,ugh/ -,r /he Day

If life had a second edition+ how I would correct the proofsD 8 Eohn Clare

A"TIC'E

P,,r handling, .,rru2/i,n raise /he .,s/

7y S>S> J,hl

A3,ida7le 0as/age ,- -,,d

A)E0#'ES+ percentages+ rates of growth+ indices+ inflation rates

etc are the statistics that hide more than they reveal. These are convenient for mundane -ustifications and sometimes are used to deliberately mislead the public or whosoever they are addressed to. 1or e!ample+ averages do not represent any of the individual figures. #verage si=e+ height+ weight+ length+ breadth do not represent any individual variable. If one person is si! feet tall and

the other is four feet+ the average height will be five feet and that figure will have no meaning. #nother e!ampleF If one calculates the average depth of a stream to be crossed and finds it less than his height up to waist+ he may drown while crossing the stream. Similarly+ rates of growth depend upon the base used. The rates of growth in 'D,+ productivity+ population etc. do not provide the basis to compare different sets of data. ?ne percent growth in population in India does not compare favourably with even 9 per cent growth in the sparsely populated countries of #frica or South #merica. 1or e!ample+ 6 per cent growth on one thousand population means an addition of 67 persons and a 9 per cent growth on a base of 677 persons will be an addition of only 9 persons. In the same way+ agricultural productivity and production growth in ,un-ab+ Haryana+ @estern $, and even #ndhra ,radesh will remain lower than that in 'u-arat+ :ihar and 0a-asthan because of the higher base of production and productivity in the former set of states even though the gross addition to productivity and production in these states might be much higher. Thus the rates of growth in these states are not comparable statistics. Then loo" at the rates of inflation. @hen the rate of inflation increases+ it certainly increases the prices of the commodities. Get+ in case the rate of inflation decreases+ it does not mean the prices of the commodities in the mar"et have come down. In a declining rate of inflation+ the prices still "eep increasing+ but at a slower rate. This mollifies psychologically the consumers and other users of the commodities with no relief on the higher and higher prices they would continue to suffer from. Eust a few days ago $nion 1ood (inister 2.). Thomas tried to counter the fact of huge wastages of food grains due to lac" of proper handling and scientific modern storage facilities. He mentioned that spoilage is only 7.6 per cent of the stoc"s handled. $ndoubtedly+ this low figure .uoted by the minister loo"s to be unbelievable. The other day there was news of A7+777 .uintals of wheat rotting in the open at one place. This cannot be a singular case. @e have seen the trac" record of e!port consignments re-ected and not an insignificant level of below standard supplies in the public distribution system as well as the deplorable plight of stored grains in the open and on plinths for months together. Get believing him for a moment+ 7.6 per cent loss means appro!imately 97+777 tonnes of grain annually from ,un-ab alone. 'oing by the present prices and storage as well as handling costs+ it amounts to a very reserve estimate of loss of more than 0s 37 crore in one year in the state. If this loss is calculated for the last 37 years+ it far e!ceeds the amount needed for the construction of

metallic silos for more than 64 million tonnes to food grains. This loss is more than double this figure at the national level. If the system saves this much grain in silos+ there would never arise any need for imports at e!ceptionally higher prices from the international mar"et and e!ports could be made as per demand from outside at good prices. If the stoc"s are managed properly and stored scientifically+ the 1CI could turn into a revenue*earning organisation rather than a drain on the national e!che.uer. The basic e!pectation from the 1ood Corporation of India was that the organisation would earn some revenue for the government. In the initial two years the organisation did turn in some profit for the government. @hat spoiled the game was the la!ity on the part of the management of the 1CI. @ay bac"+ three decades ago+ it was estimated that if a bag of wheat was procured at the minimum support price and handled as well as stored for three years the way it was done by the organisation+ it would cost the government more than the cost of distribution free to the needy right from the mar"et yard where the grain is procured. The Supreme Court of India directed the government last year to distribute grains free to those below the poverty line rather than waste these as was being done by the organisation due to lac" of proper handling and storage. Still+ the matter is being ta"en lightly and percentages are being .uoted to cover the default lines. Indian ethos and culture regard as 'od (#nn ,armeshwar hai . The wastage of even a single grain is considered to be a sinD $nfortunately+ our government system considers thousands of tonnes of grain wastage insignificant. %oo" at the effort which goes into the production of these grains right from the preparation of land+ sowing seeds+ nurturing the crop+ harvesting+ handling and the costs and effort involved in bringing these grains for the "itty of the government. #nd+ the government ma"es light of the grain wastageD It is not -ust the wastage+ there is corruption in handling grains and supplying these to consumers through the public distribution system. # @orld :an" report has estimated that B7 per cent of the grain supplies for distribution through the ,DS in India do not reach the depots. These get sold straight in the open mar"et. In corruption ,un-ab e!cels all other states. Here 57 per cent of the food grains supplied for the public distribution system are sold directly in the mar"et. ?ne wonders+ where the government system and the authorities that be+ are ta"ing the country through utter la!ity+ insensitivity and corruption. If the situation does not ta"e a healthy turn*around+ the time is not far when the nation would be helplessly staring at the dar" precipice of disaster on the food front.

The writer is a well*"nown economist.

$IDD'E

Un1e42/ heigh/s
7y "a9an Chugh

A&I% 2apoor and yours truly are credited to have started the trend
of (3*4 day stubble. Since 5 out 67 people+ especially the purists+ who meet such fol"s with a stubble thin" that the latter may not be feeling too well 8 down with fever etc 8 it ta"es a lot of courage to loo" what you li"e to loo". Hair on another prominent area+ read head+ has always caught my fancy. (y previous hair*styles have been compared to #lbert Einstein and #,E #bdul 2alam and co. (though the matter below them and between the ears+ nobody even dared to comment upon . :ut li"e the opening lines of a Hindi movie+ I declared at the outset+ ;0esemblance to any person+ living or dead+ is purely coincidental and unintentional.< I have often preachedF ;@hen young+ ad-ust your hair according to the e!isting hair*style> when old+ ad-ust your hair*style according to the e!isting hair.< #nd thus a saga of hair*styles over the years. :ut last wee" when I reached home after a hair*do+ permed and coloured with a special dye that I brought from abroad+ and un"empt as ever+ I didn/t realise what was in store for me. The reaction from my family members+ whom I nurtured all my life with my sweat and blood+ was beyond my imagination+ to say the least. Eust one glimpse and my daughter closed her eyes and shrie"edF ;Gou are really li"e the English+ paa 8 you don/t mind being laughed at 8 at yourself or your humour on yourself. #nd then came Her Highness+ my gynaecologist wife. ;Imported lightest brown colour does not suit (Indian fair men+< she said. I thought that was some sort of a compliment till she saidF ;?ne should "now how to age gracefully.< ;:uddha hoga teraH+< I almost said+ and retortedF ;#s" :ollywood stars+< with a hint of stardom in my heart and mind. :ut she was unstoppableF ;Gou might be an eye surgeon+ but this is no way to test your patients/ eyesightD< #nd she was right. ,erhaps for the first time+ when one of my patients came to my clinic chamber and saidF ;:ut I wanted to see Dr Chugh.< In the evening+ when my 69*year Eohnian first saw his father (in new avataar + he e!claimed with shoc"F ;?hD Gour beautiful brown

hair resemble that of my friend/s dog.< I smiled and gave him the benefit of doubt that he might have inherited some humour and hoped that he didn/t see any four*legged creature below that hair.

)PED DE*ENCE

Vi./,ri,us Indian s,ldiers 2,se a/,2 /he -,r4ida7le Tiger !ill during /he &argil War>

&argil War? Need /, learn s/ra/egi. less,ns

(eneral @"e/dA V P $ali1

)& the 69th #nniversary of the 2argil war+ it would be appropriate

to reflect on the "ey strategic lessons of the war and the geo* political changes that have come about in the 2argil*Siachen* %ada"h Sector since then.

Historically+ 2argil war was the second limited conventional war between two nuclear weapons armed nations over territorial dispute+ the first being the Sino*Soviet border conflict on the $ssuri 0iver in 65B5. In the 2argil war+ the ,a"istan #rmy tried to ma"e use of the nuclear threshold to grab Indian territory in the garb of militants. The e!perience shows that as long as there are territory* related disputes+ despite nuclear weapons deterrence rationality+ the adversaries can indulge in limited border wars. In fact such wars have now become a more li"ely norm in the strategic environment where large scale capture of territories+ forced regime change and e!tensive military damage on the adversary are ruled out. India/s defence planners have to bear this in mind as two of its largest neighbours+ China and ,a"istan+ possess nuclear weapons and have longstanding territorial disputes with India.

In the 2argil war+ ,a"istan attempted to ma"e use of its pro!y war with India to escalate it to a regular conventional war. That was a repeat of ,a"istani war initiatives in EI2 in 65CJ and 65B4. India/s intelligence agencies and armed forces must cater for such a contingency+ particularly while defending EI2 territory. # ma-or military challenge in India is the political reluctance to a pro*active grand strategy or engagement. This disadvantage is enhanced because no loss of territory is acceptable. This is a strategic handicap and a ris" in any war setting+ which increases in a limited war scenario. It implies greater attention to surveillance+ committing large force levels along the bordersK %oC and thus depletion of combat reserves. # pro*active grand strategy and capability to wage a successful conventional and nuclear war is a necessary deterrent. # war may remain limited because of credible deterrence or Escalation Dominance+ when one side has overwhelming military superiority at every level. The other side will then be deterred from waging a war. (?ver the years+ we have managed to erode such a deterrence capability. That also gives more room for manoeuvre in diplomacy and in conflict.

Changing en3ir,n4en/
The new strategic environment calls for speedier+ more versatile and fle!ible combat organisations in mountainous as well as non* mountainous terrain. The successful outcome of a border war depends upon the capacity to react rapidly to an evolving crisis. The new strategic environment in wars re.uires close political oversight and politico*civil*military interaction. It is essential to "eep the military leadership within the security and strategic decision* ma"ing loop. Information operations are important due to the growing transparency of the battlefield. The political re.uirement of a military operation and to retain the moral high ground+ (and deny

C,rre./i,ns and .lari-i.a/i,ns

In a headline on ,age 9 of the Euly 93 issue 0eoti 0aman has been wrongly spelt as 0eoti 0ama.

In the second dec" of the Hero Honda results report on :usiness page of the issue of Euly 99+ which reads ;6st rise in profits after four .uarters of declines<+ the word Ldecline/ in singular would have been appropriate.

It is odd for both dec"s of a headline to mention the name of the city as in the ,anipat report on the Haryana page (,age J of the issue of Euly 9C.

In the report ;S#D*:E, targets urban voters< the word impressive has been mis*spelt as ;impresseive<.

Despite our earnest endeavour to "eep The Tribune error*free+ some errors do creep in at times. @e are always eager to correct them. This column appears twice a wee" 8 every Tuesday and 1riday. @e re.uest our readers to write or e*mail to us whenever they find any error. 0eaders in such cases can write to (r 2amlendra 2anwar+ Senior #ssociate Editor+ The Tribune+ Chandigarh+ with the word ;Corrections< on the envelope. His e*mail ID is "anwarMtribunemail.com. 0a- Chengappa+ Editor*in*Chief

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