Second Green Revolution

Indian economy was agrarian in nature when the first five year plan was drafted and taken up for execution. Luckily due to the scientific development of late 1960s wheat productivity multiplied substantially in countries like Mexico, thanks to Dr.Norman Borlaug and his team of scientists. In India too, green revolution took place around 1970 and we became self sufficient in foodgrains. Unfortunately the green revolution enabled the rich and large farmers to retain their status and increase the production of wheat and rice whereas the small and marginal farmers continued to get neglected till date. The country is still awaiting the onset of a second green revolution. Such an expectation can be converted into reality provided the following steps are taken earnestly.

1) A genuinely interested person who is richly experienced in Indian farming practices should become the Union Minister of Agriculture & Co-operation in New Delhi.

2) A thorough review of the existing programmes and projects undertaken by the Departments / Sub-ordinate Offices / Agencies working under the control and guidance of Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operation, Ministry of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer affairs should be done to justify reduction in their strength and budgeted outlays.

3) Paying full attention to the specific problems of the majority of farming community viz., small and marginal farmers in different states of the country.

4) Adequate investment both in Public and Private Sectors for interlinking of major rivers, requisite and timely expansion of the existing canal work in almost all major and medium irrigation projects so that national irrigation percentage is pushed up to 75%.

5) Making adequate provision for supply of inputs like quality and certified seeds, both organic manure and inorganic fertilisers, both short term and medium term credit from various financial institutions to the fullest extent.

6) Framing realistic policies for improving the capacity of food processing industry as also storage and marketing of processed food.

Sailors at the Hands of Satans

It is quite disheartening to note that 400 Indian Sailors have died in marine accidents between 2005 and 2009 according to the Director General of Shipping. It is also learnt that about 50% of the Indian labour force employed in the international maritime sector have not been recruited through agencies registered under D.G., Shipping. It is a pity that although 202 licensed recruitment and placement agencies are operating in India, half of the labour force working is not engaged through these agencies. As a matter of fact the foreign firms that have engaged the Indian sailors on different oceans care very little when accidents take place. The Government of India too is quite lax in tracing those sailors and helping their families on their disappearance or deaths.

It is for the Government of India and the D.G., Shipping to ensure that no sailor is employed other than through these registered agencies and each Sailor's movement and their engagement by the foreign firms/domestic firms are noted down and pursued from time to time. The fact that Indian youths are unemployed in large numbers doen't mean that we can afford to lose our Sailors and cause untoward sufferings to their families.

For the sake of formality?

Demand for various ministries in Government of India totaling Rs.1,257,728 crore without the scrutiny of Standing Committees that normally examine departmental proposals and allocations have been passed in the budget session of Parliament on March 5, 2011 mainly due to elections scheduled in 4 states and 1 Union Territory in April-May. We very well understand that even after the detailed scrutiny of the departmental proposals, several hundred crores of rupees are normally found to be misspent or under-utilized by different departments. Under these circumstances demands worth Rs1.2 billion are passed for expenditure without any examination. God knows how much will be utilized and with what justification. The way the Public Accounts Committee of the same Parliament finds several loopholes in implementation of the projects by various Ministries one is sure that many of the departmental proposals may not have been properly formulated and kept for implementation during the financial year 2011-12. The Parliament and the Standing Committee are supposed to go through the proposals in detail before the demands are passed by the full house in the form of a Finance Bill. It is a pity that public representatives even after spending crores of rupees on travels and sittings are unable to scrutinize the budget proposals and guide the Ministries or the departments for fully utilizing the provisions given in the budget. As an insider has pointed out, hardly any department or ministry is in a position to release the budget allocation to the proper beneficiary including the State Governments without any illegal cut. Several lobbyists and the beneficiaries are quite manipulative in getting the allocation made, proposals sanctioned and funds released within a few days despite owlish eyes and regulatory mechanism in place on paper.

Plan Allocation

The editor of “Dinamani” in his editorial of Saturday, March 2, 2011 on the above topic has described in detail the way the ministries within Government of India are quite careless in implementation of irrigation schemes on the basis of the follow-up action initiated by the Public Accounts Committee headed by Sri Murali Manohar Joshi the other day. As we are all aware the irrigation percentage of Indian Agriculture is not up to the mark compared to the volume of run off water that goes into the ocean during every monsoon. Although the Government of India and the State Governments keep complaining that the resources allocated for water resources management fall short of the expectation and requirement. Keeping this fact in mind, the Government of India sanctioned 253 small and major irrigation works during the year 2008 out of which 100 projects were reported to have been executed. Surprisingly 12 out of those 100 schemes were in fact incomplete as quoted and taken serious note of by the Public Accounts Committee. The members of the PAC were wondering as to why the Ministry of Water Resources had failed to implement projects through State Governments as per the original plan and commitment. Accelerated Irrigation Utility Plan was introduced by Government of India in 1996-97. Under this scheme the irrigation potential could be increased by lengthening of the canal system and amalgamation of rivers or putting up Dams to store water and taken to a long distance to irrigate lands. Under this scheme, the Government of India is supposed to share the expenditure to the extent of 60% to 90% of the project cost. Many State Governments like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur & Kerala availed this plan. But a few State Governments have not properly implemented this scheme like in the case of Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka. It is disturbing to note that the former Chief Minister of A.P., (Late) Mr.Rajasekara Reddy obtained the maximum assistance of Rs.2000 crore under the banner of 'Jala-yagnam' with an avowed objective of covering the entire State under irrigation. The PAC found to its dismay that the Contractors were paid money in excess of the original estimates by revising them subsequently. They were also found to have misused the allocation of Cement & Steel by diverting to other works. Despite the provision for repair and maintenance committed by the contractors, the State Government had never insisted on its implementation, rather the funds were released before the execution of schemes. About Rs.160 crore of rupees were the extra income earned by these Contractors in Andhra Pradesh alone.

So the editor sarcastically makes a remark that the Government’s allocation of funds is only meant to fill the pockets of the rulers and the Officers by looting the tax payers’ money. It is indeed the concern of each and every citizen of this country. The day is not far off when every body in such a system will be made accountable and the looted money brought back to the treasury.

Man Grows, Nature Remains

As the man or women grows in age, he watches nature or his environs first as a child, then an adolescent, a young man, an adult, a middle aged man and as an elderly man before he leaves the earth and his atma leaves the human body/form. Things that appear giant or too big in size and shape to a child’s vision, actually don’t change in physical status but the same child after growing in age views those very things in proper perspective and in actual status. Atma or the knowledge of the human body gets updated and adjusted according to the human’s needs and understanding.

Nature gets disturbed and keeps changing marginally as the humans deal with it in their inimical style. At times such interventions accommodate man’s greedy requirement upto a limit but little later nature too starts showing its annoyance or irritation in the form of tsunami, El nino/El nina, earthquake etc. Man’s commissions & omissions lead to a devastating effect on the environs immediately but at the same time slowly but certainly affecting the balance of nature. Man helplessely and consciously watches his own time passing fast and painfully realizes that his past days are not going to come again.

A kid keeps shaking its hands & legs hither and thither most of the time kicking at the body of mother and father in whose lap it happens to be lying. The kid expresses its needs by screaming and enjoying in the absence of ability to speak and convey. A little grown up child walks, moves, jumps, laughs, cries and screams, watches envious people around and speaks the language known and beautifully and joyfully entertains parents and relatives till it reaches the adolescent stage.

An adolescent gets attracted by opposite gender in a natural way. Most of his free time is spent in fantasying the presence or touch of an individual whom he loves and longs for. Nature brings out changes in his/her physique and mental caliber. He tries to view the environs in their true colours and strength. After obtaining a professional or vocational skill in a formal or informal way he/she becomes an adult and starts practicing for earning their bread/livelihood.

Every individual looks around him whether senior or junior in age and experience and is getting transformed in ideas and understanding of his environs and objects/symbols of nature. The man in his fully-grown and ripe age starts appreciating, reviewing, reassessing and readjusting his thoughts and actions visa-vis those objects of nature which normally continue for ages and ‘yugas’.

Man’s trivial length of life in comparison to the infinite age may undergo indefinite change in timeless future. Man’s history, his knowledge of science and technology, the expanse of his brain power are all insufficient compared to the creator’s designs and the charisma of cosmos in its time path.

Hail the Nature & Bail the Humans

Women At The Receiving End

According to R.Isbal, Executive Director of Madras Christian College of Social Service which rehabilitates and reintegrates trafficked women with their families, the increased number of cases in this regard could be because Tamil Nadu is an active transport hub and thus serves as transit point for people indulging in trafficking. She said that there were cases, the women and young girls from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Kerala had been rescued in Tamil Nadu. With sex tourism becoming widespread, women from all four southern states and sometimes even Mahrarashtra are brought into Tamil Nadu, she said. A woman named Rekha 22 was 14 when she ran away from her house in Vijayawada with her Boy Friend taking with her Rs.50,000/- and some gold jewels. "I lived with him for five months in Hyderabad before he sold me to a pimp and ran way. They later told me that he had sold me for Rs.50,000/- ", says a teary eyed Rekha. She was later brought to the MCCSS where she has been helping auithorities creating awareness in colleges.

Poverty and sometimes a good look are a few reasons for the girls running away from home in search of employment or a chance in films. Umpteen number of girls have been cheated, exploited and spolied for life without a hope for rehabilitation. Thanks to MCCSS and such centers with whose help trafficked women can return home and start a fresh life. More and more volunteers and institutions should come forward and guide the young girls and women studying in schools and colleges so that they don't become easy prey in the hands of bad elements.

Role Reversal OF Genders

A Study of over 5000 American adults has revealed that men of today want babies and commitment when women are more likely to want independence in their relationships. This reflects the effect of massive social changes that have taken place on Gender relations in recent times. It is reported that more than half of single men want to have children compared to just 46% of women. "The results reveal the effects of the growing gender role reversal", said Helen Fisher, Biological Anthropologist at Rutgers University and Chief Scientific Adviser at dating website match.com which commissioned the study. As a matter of fact the onset of Industrial Revolution has resulted in women getting economic equality on par with men. It is no doubt a good sign of women empowerment even in urban areas of developing nations. Career women in India’s Metro Cities are not lagging behind in such economic empowerment. In the days to come they would also prefer economic equality rather than family bonding giving more reason for concern to Indian males.