Bhopal tragedy, the industrial disaster

Following is the comment made on the editorial regarding the "Bhopal Tragedy" by the Editor of Dinamani(Tamil)Newspaper on 22nd June,2010

Friends, nobody is above board in today's Indian politics and industry. One represents and takes care of the interest of the other. The pity is that in a given situation or calamity we Indians are slow to react and ensure the preventive or post-event action as usual, unlike in the recent oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of mexico in which the whole nation including the President Obama of the USA stood firm and timely and effective action was taken against the company including the help to the affected. Let the Governments and the authorities concerned act sincerely and effectively. Otherwise we will have more of such industrial disasters in India in the days to come.

By KPR.Raja
6/22/2010 5:45:00

Grains Vs Guns

‘Grains Vs Guns’ seems to here been the latest statement made by the eminent agriculture scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan in Tiruvandrum enclave of Indian Scientists inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. Swaminathan has been advocating and asserting on the significance of food grains viz-a-viz the guns produced or procured by nations in modern times. In his reviewச் and interviews on ‘Food inflation’ he laments the absence or inadequacy of proper and timely formulation of policy decisions on the supply-side of food economics on the part of Govt. of India. The immediate concern (second week of January, 2010) of everyone from top to bottom – i.e. Prime Minister and his team of advisors downwards up to the desk of Sharad Power and his officials is how to check this maddening spree of price spiral in food grains, pulses, oils, vegetables, fruits and sugar.

A few days ago R.B.I headed by Governor Subha Rao, Economic Advisory Council headed by Dr. C. Renganathan, Planning Commission headed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia made forecasts to the effect that inflationary trend especially in grains, vegetables and sugar would beat a retreat soon. Now all of them seem to have been stumped with the outstanding upward movement of price rise. Consumers seem to be stunned and forced to reveal their latent out- bursts and concerns on such a development as made out from their interviews of late both in print and electronic media day in day out. Commodity economics as reflected in the behaviour of commodity markets seems to be elusive of any amenable solution available to eminent stock-exchange economists like M.S. Ahluwalia, Rengarajan and others. Macro economists brought up in the school of international trade, balance of payment, international banking, stock exchange markets, capital account convertibility, private equity and profit maximization do suddenly find themselves unable to tackle food inflation, agri-economics, retail price index etc. They are unable to decipher the loop-holes prevalent in supply side theory and practice of economics. The entire paraphernalia engaged in production of grains, pulses and sugar is unable to cope with a realistic study of the area deployed for this purpose, the inadequacy or absence of incentive on a balanced use of timely and requisite inputs needed for production, processing, storage and marketing of essential commodities. Department of Agriculture and Co-operation and the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs both at Central and State Government levels appear to be so much engrossed in their routine engagement on facts and figures, meetings and minutes that they hardly ever applied their mind and soul to study the long term trend in demand and supply existing potential and requisite supplies in the case of essential commodities like food grains – both rice and wheat, pulses, oils, vegetables, fruits and sugar as also the chronic problems faced by the major producers viz. the small and marginal farmers in the countryside.

The nation expects from senior agriculture scientists like Dr. M.S. Swaminathan to devote their precious time and energy on experiments with the Science & Technology connected with the production, processing and marketing of agri-produce so that the governments can feed the entire population of this country in the days to come. Mere conferences, congresses and consultations including paper and book publicity are not going to deliver goods as one would expect.

Homeless on a Winter Night

Harsh Mander’s article on “Homeless on a Winter Night” is a telling example of the state of affairs prevailing in several parts of North India during winter. It is indeed a vivid account of vicarious nature of urbanization in India. It along with a series of articles written by him under the banner “Bare foot” reminds us of the days of Oliver Twist penned by Charles Dickens in England. Well, it would have been better if Harsh, being a former bureaucrat suggested a practical solution to the Delhi administration or followed one of the following two courses of action.

1. Send a story-line or a film script to one of the Bollywood film producers for making a feature film on street-dwellers of Delhi.
2. Implement with his own team a welfare project aimed at their amelioration in Delhi Urban Agglomeration after its formulation and sanction by concerned government departments and agencies.

Note: This letter is sent to 'The Hindu' newspaper

MSSRF

Dear Ms. SriVidya,

You’ve done an excellent coverage on the community based initiative of MSSRF recently in the Hindu newspaper. The MSSRF seems to have taken a lot of strain on finding solutions to the perennial problems of poor people engaged not only in inland farming but also in sea-fishing on the costal zones. The IGNOU too seems to have entered this arena with a view to supporting the community college and making it a component of the integrated Coastal Zone Management of MSSRF. The participation of Ms. Kanimozhi, Rajya Saba M.P. will ensure the whole-hearted support of the state government. The opening of a training institute for the fishermen under the aegis of MSSRF will certainly add one more ground for the activity of MSSRF. The Village Resource Centers and the Village Knowledge Centers are indeed to be watched and replicated in other parts of the country. I wish you closely monitor these concepts and practices at least for 1-2 years on a quarterly basis and report on its feasibility and adaptability.

Note: This letter is sent to the newspaper 'The Hindu'

Will anything change?

Dear Ms. Kalpana Sharma,
I read your article on ‘Will anything change?’ in the Hindu dated 27th December 2009. It is true “for millions of Indians there is little cause to cheer”. Millions who live in poverty-stricken villages will continue to be poor and become poorer unless and until some realistic policies framed and circulated by governments in the National capital and State capitals are sincerely implemented by the so-called permanent executives posted in the district head-quarters and block development head-quarters. The latest headache to the villagers is the hydra-headed monster in the form of SEZ to snatch farm lands from the farmers and make the rich richer and allow the MNCs to flourish and loot in the name of ‘development’.

Note: This letter sent to the newspaper 'The Hindu'

Golden Chance for the Golden Age in India

Telengana episode has effected a rupture on Indian Polity and caused a painful turmoil all over. The latent desire and desperate demand for separate statehood in different locations has erupted with a sudden spurt compelling the Congress party in the Centre to go slow on the same within 24 hours of its initial announcement. How to contain such a development is the major concern of all the right-thinking individuals and well-wishers in the country. Intelligent humans, as we are, should convert such an event into a positive chance for a better arrangement in the given democratic system. Language, the only major criterion for the reorganization of states in the post-independent era in 1950s, remains no more a lone valid and solid base for the purpose. Economic development and, that too a balanced regional development has become the need of the hour. Divisive and decisive forces such as language, caste, colour or creed could hardly be a base for geographical divisions any more.

India is a country of one billion plus in population. Geographical area-wise and population-wise it can easily afford to have 40 to 50 states in all – each containing or catering to a population of 20 millions plus. The only rider is that it should be a Democratic Federation with the Presidential form of government as in the case of USA. The President and the Governors in the states should be directly elected for a term of 5-6 years with each incumbent allowed to serve only 2 terms in office and necessarily not succeeded by a close relative in the posts for at least 2 terms at a stretch. Under such a scenario, the elected executives would be assisted and advised by a group of experts as ministers (mostly nominated) numbering not more than 5 in each government. Departmental activities should be guided, budgeted and monitored by the advisory committees comprising members of the Parliament or State Assemblies as the case may be. Direct election would be conducted once in 5 – 6 years only for the lowest chamber via. Village Panchayats and Municipal bodies and also for the highest executive post in the country viz. President and in the states viz. the Governors. All other legislative bodies viz. the Janpad Panchayats, District Panchayats, Municipal Councils/Corporations, State Assemblies and the National Parliament should have selected/nominated members with proven talent and experience from among them on the basis of internal elections. No public representative elected or nominated can hold any particular office for more than two terms. In other words it would inject fresh blood into each chamber of public representatives. Direct election to the posts of President and Governors and similarly to the lowest chambers should be conducted at the Government cost.

Only two or three dominant political parties (on the basis of immediately-preceding General Elections) should be allowed to field candidates for the post of President and Governors but the elections or nominations to all other posts and chambers need not necessarily be in the name and nomination of political parties. All the ills of electoral processes can be automatically tackled without any major costs – neither to the Government nor to the candidates. No favoritism, no nepotism, no dynastic tendency, no black-money and no muscle power would be able to raise their ugly heads in such a system.

It is indeed a golden chance coming on our way for ensuring a golden era in Indian Sub-continent. Telengana, Gorkhaland, Vidarbha, Bundelkland, etc. etc. can await the recommendations of a newly-formed State Reorganization Commission in the next 2 years. As a saying goes, one should strike when the iron is hot. Let us convert the current malady into a remedy. Sixty years of Parliamentary Democracy needs a re-look and re-working. So the current Parliament can easily be converted into a Second Constituent Assembly for the debate and a decision on an alternative system of governance like the Presidential form of Government. A federal polity with such contrast situations, languages, cultures and civilizations, heritages and histories in India needs immediate political and constitutional reforms to halt the riches of a few, to promote the welfare of all the citizens, to make justice available at a cheaper cost, to eradicate or substantially control the electoral fraud and bad practices, to provide corruption-free public services from government functionaries, to check the erosion of dignity of labour but improve and sustain its productivity be it on agri-farms, in factories, in public and semi-public offices, to halt the mobocracy and encourage meritocracy in every sphere of public life.

Note: This article is sent to all major Newspapers, Magazines, Political parties, President, Prime minister, Chief ministers of all the states, Election Commission, all Governors, Chief Justice of India, Judges of Supreme Court, Chief Justices of States, Chief Secretaries of all states, LBS Directors, etc.

Judicial Arrears

Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer’s elucidation and criticism on the mounting arrears on the files of judges and a thought-provoking controversial comment on the concern currently being expressed by many stalwarts in the field of judicial reforms are indeed a food for thought to the rulers and the ruled. Parkinson’s Law will show its ugly head undoubtedly in judicial positions too. The venerable Justice Iyer said it at last regarding the perils of present system at the helm of affairs in higher judiciary. What we need indeed are intelligent, competent and bold judges who can read between the lines when frivolous litigations are put up to them for hearing and disposal. Revolt of the masses is the end-result sooner or later if justice is denied to them or delayed due to the rotten procedure in the system.

Iyer expects the effective executive to call the bluff when judges invent alibi to explain their inefficiency and lack of integrity. But unfortunately the other side too is not all that greener really, nor competent or committed in terms of time and caliber as obtaining at present.

Let us therefore allow a revolt against the existing system in a non-violent way as in the case of freedom struggle in the thirties and forties of 20th century. Let us be Indian in our thought and action through a second freedom struggle to steer clear of the vestiges of British behaviour in the existing hierarchy of Indian democracy, Indian bureaucracy and Indian judiciary.

Note: This article is sent to the newspaper 'The Hindu'