Stability in Afghanistan is not only a challenge to the USA but to India, Iran and Russia as well, as as been pointed out by Nitin Pai and Rohit Pradhan in the op-ed "Unquiet on the Western Front" ( Indian Express,25/1/10). Since Pakistan is an unwilling participant, stability has eluded there. Contribution from these countries is essential for a lasting solution both in terms of development and troops. China too should be included and it has been awarded mining rights there. All this should take place under the auspices of UNO and with the concurrence of the elected government. The observations made by the eminent historian and diplomat K.M.Panikkar that India's security perimeter extends up to Kabul is fact of history and that sad history should not be allowed to be repeated.
Fact of the matter is, India still lacks strategic thinking. As K.Subrahmanyam, one of few strategic experts in India, has rightly mentioned, "There is better understanding about the Indian security management problem outside India than within the country." (Guarding the growth,Indian Express,25/1/10). There is an urgent need to promote think-tanks on various issues confronting the country. Our political parties are interested only in the next election. Our corporates and various trusts confine themselves to business and philanthropy. Nobody seem to bother about the future, whether it is security or environment, and even poverty. If India has to emerge as a great country, we have to have visionaries who can chart a future to inspire our youth.
Government of India's UID project is to be welcomed, though it was mooted some years ago by the NDA government especially to identify foreigners, especially Bangladeshis in the border areas, and give them work permits. It is never too late.
The most important benefit of such an identity card is to reach the poor with government assistance - food-grains, subsidy, work in government projects etc. The Suresh Tendulkar Committee report states that 41.8 percent rural population and 25.7 percent urban population is below the poverty line while it is 37.2 percent of the total Indian population. The government of India spends almost Rs.200,000 crore in its welfare schemes every year and the recent report indicate that there is lot of leakage in all these projects. For example, " All hype : Centre's rural job scheme has helped only 4 %" is the headline of a report in DNA ( January 21,2009)
If the poor in India are given this UID, the government may be able to reach them directly without any intermediaries and plug the loophole in these schemes. All poor should also have a bank account or account with the post office. This will enable the government to pay any financial assistance directly. The TCS has devised a software to make the unlettered literate in a few weeks/months. This could be added to the scheme to enable the poor to understand what they are entitled to and how to get it.
If government can give these two sections - foreigners and the poor - on a priority basis, the Indian government can claim a major achievement. The other sections can be easily added later on - the middle class and the rich - who have already some identification - pan card, bank account,ration card etc.
Of course, there is a fear that all this may lead to a " surveillance society" and the theft of identity. These two are big challenges for the project. However, there are more benefits for people as well as the government in this scheme. USA has its social security card. Another challenge is the authenticity. There are many mistakes in the ration card and election identity card. It is not there in the pan card. The project has to employ people qualified to do the job properly and responsibly.It may be a good idea to get corporates/NGOs/ banks involved so that project could be expedited.
( These suggestions were sent to Karmayog, a website for NGOs and concerned citizens, to exchange views and to take them with the concerned authorities, and make India a participatory democracy).
Only our economic and military strength can improve India-China Relations.
The seminar, "India-China Relations – The Essential Differences" organized by the Freedom First Foundation is timely. Many points have been made by the participants and the following are most important observations which deserve to be heeded by our people and their representatives:
"We have to depend on our own strength and we should not expect the world to come to our rescue. We have the capability and the manpower to do so. We require the political will and the necessary equipment." " We should develop an offensive capability, this defensive attitude is ruinous."
( Brig.S.C.Sharma (Retd.).
" In a world where America invades Iraq because of oil interests, where people break their promises from day today, how is it that we think we are bound to keep our position on Tibet ?" (Col.Ravi Joshi).
"So China has large scale growth but they have large scale problems as well. Those problems are their strengths as well as their weaknesses. It depends on how they deal with them.I think we need to play to our strengths, not to our weaknesses." (Ms.Meera Sanyal).
The repeated terrorist attacks on India by ISI-inspired entities have deflected our interest in the Chinese threat to India. Some of the recent developments like Chinese opposition to the visit of the Prime Minister and the Dalai Lama to Meghalaya and intrusion of Chinese troops in the Indian Territory forbidding our nomads from grazing their cattle shows the continuing Chinese threat to India. A report even suggests that China wants to control the area where the Indus River starts in Ladakh.
Apart from providing military ( including nuclear technology) to Pakistan, China has extended its foot-print in our neighbourhood – Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar andSri Lanka – through economic and military assistance. It has been colourfully described as 'a string of pearls' around India. It is a sort of containment policy to confine India's influence within the region.
It is sad that India has yet to learn its lesson on Chinese expansionism. If we do not wake up in time and soon, we may be heading towards a repeat of 1962, as observed by Maj.Gen.Eustace D'Souza (retd.).1962 is the result of our "credulity and negligence" as our past President Dr.S.Radhakrishnan had commented at that time. We seem to be continuing the same attitude in spite of the great strides made by the country in the meanwhile. The Chinese have developed excellent transport system ( roads and train) in Tibet up to our border areas whereas on our side in Meghalaya there is hardly any development.
Communism in China is written in Chinese characteristics. China follows the teachings of Sun Tzu in The Art of War than the teachings of Karl Marx in the Das Capital. And Sun Tzu says : " To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."; " All warfare is based on deception." The Chinese attitude towards other countries is that of over-lordship – middle kingdom, and towards its own people – mandate of heaven ( rulers, not representatives). Obedience, not dissent, is a virtue. Though China has adopted free enterprise (capitalistic economic development), it is still far away from freedom of thought and expression which go with free enterprise. Some observers have pointed out the many problems facing China – pollution, unemployment, rural poverty, arbitrary acts ofthe cadre, corruption etc. External enemy is an easy way to divert people's attention.
India has to ensure economic development especially in the rural areas, build a strong defense force and help countries of the South Asia to become economically strong. The recent step taken by the government of India to help Bangladesh with a billion dollars for its transport system is a step in the right direction. India should lower tariff on imports from South Asian countries and provide assistance in technical education to empower people in all these countries. We should be partners in progress.
Indian economy is likely to grow by about 8/9 percent in this decade, especially if the government goes ahead with the reform agenda – labour reform to encourage industrial growth ( experts say that China became the workshop of the world because of cheap labour), disinvestment of public sector enterprises, spread of education including vocational education to avail the population dividend ( India has the largest number of youth), and public investment ( irrigation, seeds, drip-irrigation) in agriculture. An economically strong India can become militarily strong.This strength will improve our relations with China, Pakistan and other countries.
Lastly, India needs to have institutions which monitor what is happening in China, Pakistan, USA and other countries which affect India's growth – economic, political and military. These institutions should bring out reports periodically to educate Indian people and the politicians. Reports in newspapers are brief and specific which are ignored by the people. In-depth analysis is rare. USA has many such institutions like Brookings Institution, which publish reports and books from the US point of view.
As a student of politics and economics, I knew participation in public affairs is not merely a right but a duty and an obligation. I have written many articles and letters on current affairs to various magazines and newspapers. After my retirement, I became a volunteer for a few years to an NGO, ASHI ( Association for Social Health of India) which seeks to serve distressed women. I found that NGOs have some dedicated people but they do not know how to raise resources and get permission from the authorities.If there is an institution which can train these NGOs to help themselves, it would go a long way in strengthening the NGO movement.
Karmayog is doing great service to NGO movement by giving them a voice as our newspapers and magazines have no space for these activities. Your compilation of CSR activities of companies, your MOU with BMC, your anit-corruption pact, etc are laudable. Karmayog has promoted the cause of RTI and exposed the high electricity tariff.
I have benefited personally from the info in Karmayog and I have been able to express my views and share them with karmayogis. This is a great blessing of democracy - freedom of thought and expression. Discussion and debate are the essence of democracy. People forming associations to promote various causes has been rightly called " social capital" by Alexis de Tocqueville, the French writer in his book, Democracy in America, written in 1830s. He said that Americans were 'joiners' - they joined all manner of local organizations and this was the strength of the American democracy. How true ! New ideas and new vision comes not from the bureaucrats and politicians but from concerned citizens who have no axe to grind.
Bachat Lamp Yojna & Cheap spectacles for the poor.
In an interview in the DNA (Daily News & Analysis,Jan 5,2009), Ajay Mathur, director general of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) states that the Indian Government has introduced a scheme called Bachat Lamp Yojna under which CFL lamps are made available to houses at Rs.15, which is the cast of a normal bulb. The company that sells the CFL at a cheaper rate earns carbon credits and recovers the balance cost by selling those credits in the market. This is a piece of good news. I am wondering why BEST, Tata Power, MSEB and Reliance Energy do not take up this scheme which ha the potential to reduce power consumption and carbon footprint ?
Earlier January 3 issue of DNA had a news item about cheap spectacles like AdSpecs which contain fluid in its lenses which enable the poor to have better vision. A Dutch institution, the the Focus on Vision Foundation, produces its Focusspec glasses for about $4 a pair. Here is an opportunity for our own trusts, foundations and NGOs to bring it India.
