10 DEMOCRACY AT WORK

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NEW DELHI | 23 SEPTEMBER 2018 1

DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?

CHATTERBOX
Anecdotes from yesteryear CHECKLIST
Former diplomat and foreign minister K Natwar Singh is one of India’s most
engaging raconteurs. In a recent article on diplomacy and Morarji Desai, he
SOME OF THE ORDINANCES ISSUED BY THE MODI GOVERNMENT
recalls the first meeting between China’s Prime Minister Chou-En-Lai and Desai. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 Ordinance, 2015 was issued as foreign companies
He writes: “The meeting was a disaster. As soon as the Prime Minister and allowed courts to award the death penalty to those were said to be hesitant to do business in India
Foreign Ministers sat down, Desai said, “You are spying in Kalimpong.” This was convicted of raping children below 12 years of age. because of the long-drawn litigation.
not diplomacy. It was an outrageous insult. Chou-En-Lai was aghast. By the end Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in
of the meeting the Chinese Prime Minister had lost his cool, saying to Desai, “You 2016 mandated the final year MBBS exam as the test Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
have said enough.” To our horror, the Finance Minister’s response was, “You have for gaining eligibility to practice Allopathy: no exit (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2015 was
said more than enough.” test required promulgated thrice but was allowed to lapse when
Singh also reproduces the typewritten note that was sent in 1979 ahead of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation), it became clear that it would not pass muster in the
Commonwealth Summit in Lusaka, where he was posted. This was entitled the Second Ordinance, 2016, had complex property Rajya Sabha. The ordinance sought to dilute
‘dietary preferences of the Prime Minister”. It started with breakfast at 8 am. Desai issues at its core arising out of the 16,547 enemy provisions of social impact assessment but was
wanted carrot juice, but only the juice of deep pink carrots that are grown in north- properties across India under the law that was eventually dropped.
ern India in the winter season. Lunch was five piece of raw garlic (the Gujarat type passed to guard against claims of succession or Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Second Ordinance,
which has two pieces in every clove, chopped in pieces), half a litre of cow’s milk transfer of assets the people, who migrated to 2014 sought allocation of iron ore and other non-
that was lukewarm with NO sugar or half a liter of cow’s milk curd which must Pakistan and China after 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars, coal mines through competitive bidding.
“He (Imran Khan) was propped up by the
not be sour; 50 gms fresh paneer made with cow’s milk; fruit, cucumber and dry Army. Let’s wait and watch. The question had left behind. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
fruit including dates and figs. This was to be followed by some Indian sweet, made remains whether he will remain under Army Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014 removed legal
with jaggery, not sugar. The same menu was to be repeated at dinner but no control or not.” Ordinance, 2016 was issued after the state budget hurdles in the appointment of former Telecom
paneer, dates or figs was to be served at dinner. No cereal or vegetables in any form. Minister of state for External Affairs Gen (retired) VK Singh in could not be passed. Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman
Desai died at 99. New Delhi, September 18 Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Nripendra Mishra as Principal Secretary to the PM.

OPINION chief minister approached me for the BJD year, under his leadership. Find out where

ILLUSTRATION: AJAYA MOHANTY

Rajya Sabha MP’s post, I could not say no.
M J AKBAR I have been doing social work for 26 years,
running Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences
(KISS) where over 27,000 tribal students from
Prosperity that is across the state are given free education, from
KG to PG. I thought being in the RS would give
me a better platform to do my work.
Odisha was when Patnaik assumed office in
2000, and see where the state is now. The whole
country has seen Odisha’s transformation. The
state has become an education and industry
hub. In sports, Odisha has done wonders. Look
at the number of international sporting events
the state hosts these days. Odisha is also on its

not shared will You have a support base among tribals

because you have been working for them
way to becoming a health hub in eastern India.
At the state-level, Patnaik is supreme.

not survive for so long. Could that be a reason behind

the BJD approaching you, given that
tribal votes in Odisha are so important?
But does he not have national ambitions?
Odisha used to be a neglected state. Even in
the 2000s, people would call it a poor, back-

T
he values we share are common knowledge. European I don’t think the BJD chose me for political ward state. Now, the state has found space in
colonisation blocked the innumerable bridges of dis- gains. Patnaik is a household name in Odisha. national affairs. Patnaik has played a big role
course, trade, faiths, culture and humanism between us. He has come up with one scheme after anoth- in this uplift. The country cannot ignore us
But barriers erected in the 19th and 20th centuries are crumbling, er for the benefit of the poor. From providing any longer.
visibly, before the surging waves of 21st century effort and opti- rice at a cheap rate to reducing the school
mism. We were defeated, not because Europe was strong but dropout rate and transforming the education But there’s still a long way to go. Vast
because we became weak. Today we have rediscovered the force sector, he has done more for the state than swathes of the state remain severely
of our principles. In our vision, the world is not a construct of big anyone else could have. I don’t backward.
powers and small nations; our Asia, and our world, is a family of think the BJD needed an There is a long way to go and
sovereign, independent and equal states. We seek to pool our Achyuta Samanta to increase I do not deny that. The gov-
capacities for shared prosperity. For us, prosperity is not mere- its vote base. ernment is working towards
ly the privilege of a limited elite; prosperity is the right of every it. It takes a long time to
citizen. Prosperity that is not shared will not survive. Does Patnaik take all party achieve inclusive growth. The
Our vision is the great enabler. It helps us circumvent the decisions? How is he as a poverty rates have come
interruptions of colonial geography, and rebuild partnerships leader and person? down. The problem of
ACHYUTA SAMANTA
that once made the confluence of south and Central Asia into the As I said earlier, the BJD is a Naxalites has been contained
BJD Rajya Sabha MP
magnetic centre of the known world. It is not an accident that very democratic party and all to a large extent. Human traf-
those who once played the great game, along with some new members have a say before any ficking, especially among
arrivals, still believe that there are rewards in the shifting tides After running two premier institutes in Odisha — one for deprived children and the other a leading important party decision. tribals, has dropped. The gov-
of dominance. Our message is clear. We do not believe in theo- engineering college — for well over two decades Achyuta Samanta is now a BJD Rajya Sabha MP. He talks Patnaik is an extremely hon- Patnaik is an extremely ernment is working to make
ries of aggression like the “balance of power”. We believe in the to Thirumoy Banerjee about his party, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and more. Edited excerpts: est, transparent and democrat- honest, transparent and everyone a part of the devel-
power of balance. The only operation that guides us is coopera- ic leader. He commands democratic leader. He opment story.

‘Odisha cannot be
tion. This spirit has become an axle on the wheel of a new des- immense respect from the peo- commands immense
tiny. Central Asia’s republics are working together, on energy, ple of Odisha. Almost all the cur- respect from the people You are famous as the man
water and financial resources; meeting frequently to resolve rent social welfare schemes in of Odisha. Almost all the who runs KISS. What is your
border demarcation and connectivity issues; reducing friction the state were either launched current social welfare vision for the institute in
to build a peaceful, stable region that seeks unity of purpose or were made successful by him. schemes in the state the next five years?

ignored any more’

through a commitment to pluralism.
We do not have to look far to see the degeneration that can
diminish hope, destroy promise: Afghanistan is next door. A beau-
tiful land has been whipped toward desolation by the scourge of
terrorism, distortion of faith, and the manipulation of ideological
warmongers who turned a garden into a killing field. Al Qaeda, the
Islamic State, and Taliban did not arise from Afghan impulses; they
were imposed from sanctuaries outside Afghanistan. We must
applaud the wisdom, determination and clarity of Central Asia’s
many leaders. They understood, as India does, that there is no
‘good’ terrorism; and there can be no justification for this evil. They
understood, like India, that terrorism is also a poisonous creature
which destroys the hand that feeds it.
It is rational for India and Central Asia, faced with a similar
threat, to work towards a comprehensive security cooperation
mechanism. We already have training and joint exercises but the
challenge demands that we raise our security partnership. India
is ready, and keen, to cooperate with all Central Asian nations to
train defence forces for both conventional and asymmetric war-
fare. We are also ready to send a common message to the world
through cooperation with your forces in United Nations
Peacekeeping Operations deployment. For the first time, a com-
pany size force from Kazakhstan will be deployed with an Indian
battalion in Lebanon, from October this year. This marks the
onset of a new era. We have also, with Kyrgyzstan, been preparing
a field hospital that will be placed at the service of the UN. We would
like to offer similar assistance to all countries in this region. India
is ready and able to take defence and security cooperation to a high-
er level by facilitating capacity building programmes for the
defence framework, and by encouraging the private sector to set
up defence production and manufacturing plants in Central Asia.
Our economic bonds need far more depth and breadth. We
must initiate pro-active steps to upgrade ventures and expand
their diversity. India seeks to strengthen ties in IT, pharmaceu-
ticals, medical care, education, science and technology, private
sector entrepreneurship, Human Resource development,
tourism, culture, arts, sports and innovation. As you can see, the
list is long; the scope is wider than ever before. India is working
to open Centres of Excellence in IT, medicine, knowledge-shar-
ing and specialised capacity building with a focus on the young.
With our renewed emphasis on regional connectivity,
continued focus on strong efforts to expand economic and
diplomatic engagement, our Central Asia policy is a key pri-
ority for India. The single biggest obstacle to closer integra-
The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has not been as
critical of the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre
in the recent past. It has also supported
some of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s
(BJP's) decisions, including the NDA
candidate for the Rajya Sabha deputy
chairman. Are these signs of the BJD
forging an alliance with the BJP?
The BJD is a democratic party and all its
decisions are taken keeping in mind the
interests of the people of the state and the
country. The decision to back the NDA RS
deputy chairman candidate, Harivansh, was
taken by the party core committee led by
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The process
is similar to other key decisions taken by
the BJD.
Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in
Odisha are not too far. Should we entirely
rule out a major political realignment?
Support to a candidate for a constitutional
Every drop counts
As India reels from the effects of a severe water shortage, startups have begun offering innovative ways to
help people access safe drinking water. But how feasible are these solutions?
SNEHA BHATTACHARJEE
He has been carrying the aspi- were either launched or KISS has spread to different
rations of the people of the state were made successful by states now — there is one in
almost single-handedly for all him. He has been Delhi too, which already has
these years. carrying the aspirations about 700 students and the
of the people of the model is the same as that in
But, from the outside, it state almost single- Bhubaneswar. My vision is to
position, or to some key decisions in nation- seems that the BJD starts handedly all these years have more branches across the
al interest does not imply that the BJD will tie and ends with Patnaik. country. Last year, KISS became
up with the BJP at any level. Being a Rajya Why do you say that? the first tribal university in the
Sabha MP myself, I can tell you that all of us world. Now I want its centres in over 30 coun-
(BJD RS MPs) and other members of the core He appears to be that juggernaut who tries, including some in African and Latin
committee got together before last month’s brushes aside any challenge. Look how he American nations.
election to the RS deputy chairman’s posi- stripped Pyarimohan Mohapatra and Also, I want more children from KISS to
tion. We thought that supporting the NDA Baijayant Panda of their positions. take part in international sporting events, such
candidate would be better for the state. The BJD is a very disciplined party and is in as Asian Games and the Olympics. Asian
no way personality-driven. Patnaik has been Games silver medallist, Dutee Chand, is a KISS
But the two parties have been allies in the working relentlessly for the state. He has student. We want more Dutees to represent
past. There must be some talks going on... decentralised powers inside the party. India at the international level and win lau-
I cannot comment on this further. I joined the Anyone who has attended the party meet- rels for the country.
BJD only a few months ago. I am a rookie in ings would agree. Besides, the BJD has other
politics. I have decided to refrain from making good, able leaders, who have a lot of support There have been allegations of
any political statements for at least one year. from not just party cadres but also the people. encroachment by KISS in Bhubaneswar.
Even in the RS, I have not said anything so far. The issue has been sorted out as per the rules.
Two big elections are coming up. Don’t The controversy was over a piece of govern-
From being a social worker, as you call you feel Patnaik would need any support ment land, which was used as a playground.
yourself, you are now a politician. How at the state and national levels? There was no encroachment. Tribal children
did the switch happen? He has been ruling the state for 18 years. The used to play on that plot of land and now
I have been working for the poorest of the poor BJD has seen landslide wins in the Lok Sabha, they study there. The matter has been
in the state, just like the BJD. So, when the assembly as well as civic elections, year after resolved.
water has been left to no use because there has
been constant deposition of garbage right above
the source of water. In such a situation, the

tion with Central Asia is the absence of direct connectivity to
the region. India has registered significant progress in con-
cluding a trilateral agreement for renovation of Chabahar
Port, development of the International North-South
Transport Corridor and becoming a member of Ashgabat
Agreement. India will facilitate development of multi modal
transport and transit routes, effectively linking markets of
Central Asia to South Asia, South East Asia and Europe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly reaffirmed
his determination to expand our historic and continuing
ties with Central Asia. India is willing to partner with Central
Asia in its efforts towards ensuring food security. Developing
high-yielding and better quality seeds, cotton and potato cul-
tivation, expertise in green house cultivation of vegetables,
fruits and flowers, new technology for drip irrigation, agri-
cultural implements and storage technologies, are among
other fields that hold great potential for collaboration.
India would like to partner with Central Asian countries in
space cooperation in multitude of applications in the area for
weather forecasting, natural resource management, infrastruc-
ture planning, ecosystems, environment and disaster manage-
ment. Space technology inputs could be effectively used in agri-
culture for production forecasting and cultivation of crops. We
should work together on building a satellite for Central Asia
and offering launch services for such satellite.
We can share best practices towards building capacities
through training as well as cooperating on industry and R&D for
mutual benefit. Our efforts are making considerable progress. I
am confident that India’s partnership will contribute to a more
stable and peaceful environment, spur greater economic devel-
opment and establish India’s role as a factor for economic growth
and strategic stability in the region.
Edited excerpts from a speech by Minister of state for external affairs,
MJ Akbar at the 5th India-Central Asia Dialogue in Uzbekistan,
September 14
T
his year saw a city run out of water com- common man has no choice but to pay and use
pletely. It was one of the world’s greatest water,” he adds.
tourist destinations, Cape Town. As the government data suggests India's
Government reports suggest India’s per capita average annual per capita water may reduce to
availability of water has been reducing pro- 1,340 cubic meters in 2025 and 1,140 cubic
gressively due to an increase in population and meters in 2030, it is a welcome relief to see
the country is facing water stress. To add to some organisations using natural resources,
this, a report titled, “The state of the world’s IOT (Internet of Things) to provide accessibil-
water” by WaterAid says India has the lowest ity to safe and clean drinking water.
per capita access to clean drinking water – Take the case of Hyderabad-based Uravu
close to 163 million Indians are said to be suf- Labs. Co-founder Swapnil Shrivastava told
fering from this scarcity. At the same time, the Business Standard they source water from “air”
report adds that it is also one of the world’s using solar energy. “A panel that can be installed
most-improved nations for reaching the most on the rooftop that will attract water in the
people with clean water. night, use sunlight through the day to heat it up,
Further, it states the challenges faced by a condenser that will cool the water and then
the country as: Falling groundwater levels, supply to the user through pipes,” says
drought, demand from agriculture and Shrivastava. They are still four to six months The government restructured the rural water programme to reach 90 per cent of households
industry, pollution and poor water resource away from their official launch but are hoping with piped water by 2022
management. Despite the govern- to tie up with the government and
ment restructuring rural water pro- the NGOs and reach places and peo- Though we have observed that 15 -20 litres per maintenance,” says Vibha Tripathi, one of the
gramme with a goal to reach 90 per ple who do not have access to clean day is consumed by a household, users can founding partners, Swajal. This year, they are
cent of rural households with piped drinking water and where the infra- consume as many litres of water from the launching this project in areas where water
water by 2022, the challenges will structure is missing. device without having to worry about its main- quality is bad, and also teach people about
only intensify as “climate change Bengaluru based OCEO works tenance for a lifetime,” adds Gulecha. “ water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
contributes to more extreme on “pay per use” model. “The water Gurugram based Swajal has water ATMs or “It may sound great but come to think of it,
weather shocks”. purifier is IOT enabled and is shops across 15 states. Their idea has been to we have actually let go of our water resources
“What we need currently is
accountability of the existing
THE OTHER installed at the user’s location.
They can recharge or buy water
provide for accessibility in public places and
small hamlets. Swajal started in 2011 for cluster
to private players. A resource that is already
diminishing,” feels Shah. “At the end of the
resources and ensure that whatever is INDIA credits online through mobile and of villages. The water ATMs come with solar day, we are using environment to produce
available to us, is maintained well,” web application,” says Vikram pumps, and use locally available water. The water; isn’t it putting pressure on the environ-
says Dharmesh Shah, an independ- Gulecha, one of the co-founders. machines are all self-run and have been pro- ment further?”, he concludes adding instead
ent researcher on environment from Chennai. This way, the user pays only for the purified grammed for self-cleaning too. “We have for the government should look at cleaning the
On one of his research projects to an area in water and there is no cost involved for machine every 30 machines, one technician available. already existing resources and ensure people
North Chennai, Shah came across people pay- and maintenance. “there is a zero capping on Our machines are connected via IOT to our have safe drinking water in their homes with-
ing for using 20 litre jar bottles. “The ground- minimum consumption of water for the user. data centre in Delhi where we monitor their out paying for it.