Modi and Rahul are Changing Dramatically: Watch Out!

The recent survey by Google India titled ‘Urban Indian Voters’ had thrown up some expected results, and quite a few very unexpected results.

Prime among the unexpected outcomes was the fact that despite the attempts by media and social media to make General Elections of 2014 a kind of US-style direct presidential fight between Modi and Rahul, only 11% of the urban voters said that prime ministerial candidate of a party will play an important role in their final voting decision.

What that means is obvious. Personalities are secondary, while issues are prime for an overwhelming majority of at least urban Indians.

The second most surprising result from the survey by Google was that around 42% of urban voters have still not decided on which front to vote for. That is a huge percentage of swing votes that can swing in either directions in the run-up to the elections.

Most leaders of either fronts may not be aware of such facts, but in recent weeks, it has become very clear that these messages are very obvious to at least Modi and Rahul. Because, both have started changing dramatically in their stands in recent days.

Arvind Kejriwal Enters Do-or-Die Phase

There are only three months left for Delhi elections. Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal is increasingly staring at a challenging future, as a massive failure in Delhi elections for his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the hands of Congress and BJP would finish off not only his fledgling political career but his hitherto robust activist career.

Because, he had risked too much in this high-stakes game against well-entrenched politicians. He even risked his partnerships with the likes of Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Santosh Hegde, and major financial backer NR Narayana Murthy, to go the political route.

Now, what if the people of Delhi says, we don’t want you? That they are unlikely to say, but Delhiites can very well say that we like you, but we won’t vote for you, because you are too small.

That is the predicament that perhaps Anna foresaw, and that is precisely the quicksand into which the likes of Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid cunningly lured Kejriwal into.

Secondly, politics always required a ‘stooping too low’ strategy, and Kejriwal had to stoop to that partisan level to play in politics. Like, calling Congress and BJP as “terrorists” and “mafia“, or playing vote-bank politics like his blatant wooing of the Muslim population of Delhi by fuelling their insecure feelings.

However, despite all these drawbacks, the nation needs to stand up and applaud the activist in him, for all that he has already achieved for this nation. Delhiites gets the first and best chance to do it or not.

In the final tally, it is clear that while every activist in India Against Corruption (IAC), including Anna, had full commitment, only Kejriwal was willing to risk everything he had to pursue their dream for a corruption-free society. That too requires a standing ovation.  

How Despite Khemka, Vadra Deal was Made Into a ‘Non Issue’

For every honest officer like Khemka, there are smarter businessmen and even smarter politicians. Combine this phenomenon with a media that often catches selective amnesia, at the rate at which everyone else catches common cold, and that is how every serious issue can magically transform itself into a non-issue in this country.

Robert Vadra and DLF proved that smart is silent. For Khemka’s 100 pages, there was only unnerving silence, even from Priyanka, Sonia, and Rahul. The only noise was from Digvijay Singh, but from whom silence would have been the real shocker.

Then came the masterful performance from Bhupinder Singh Hooda who called Robert Vadra “a small farmer with just 3 acres of land.” Even the allegations made by Congress MP Rao Inderjit Singh was ridiculed by Hooda, citing the fact that Inderjit Singh himself is a bigger farmer who has collaborated with Unitech in a similar fashion to develop 83 acres.

Hooda also pooh-poohed calls for further investigation, saying, "An investigation for what?…Who has charged?…We have no complaint from anyone that Mr. Vadra has done anything wrong in Haryana"

So, why did media rake it up? Hooda has ready answer - “…for TRPs.” This last point might be true in a sense as media has obviously looked elsewhere during the past two weeks. Whatever Khemka is saying about Vadra-DLF deal might be true or false. But doesn’t it require a truthful closure?

Will Akhilesh Take Back Durga or Not?

Pressure is mounting on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to take back suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal. Some news channels have already reported that Akhilesh has taken the decision to reinstate her. Anyway, the latest confirmed development is that Durga’s boss, K Ravikant Singh - whose report had given her a clean chit - has been abruptly transferred, that too without assigning any new post.

KR Singh, who has been transferred now, was District Magistrate (DM) of Gautambudh Nagar when Durga Shakti Nagpal as a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) working under him, allegedly ordered the demolition of a mosque wall that was under construction.

However, DM KR Singh’s report on the issue had found out that Durga had just advised villagers about the illegality of the structure which was coming up in government land, and that the villagers themselves had demolished it on being convinced about the issue. Singh’s report also found that no earth-moving machinery was used in the demolition. As per this report, the issue of potential communal riots - which has been Akhilesh’s only real allegation against Durga - also didn’t arise, as the villagers themselves had agreed to remove the illegal structure.

The latest position from the Centre in the Durga Shakti Nagpal episode is that it won’t intervene further in the matter. That was better left unsaid, as, after all what could Centre do, as long as the young IAS officer herself hasn’t approached New Delhi for help.

Even the Supreme Court expressed a similar view while rejecting the first Public Interest Litigation asking to reinstate Durga. While observing that there is no public interest in the case, the SC Bench remarked that, "the moment she approaches the court, we will hear her plea and we may pass an interim order."

However, Durga hasn’t done that either until now.

But don’t think she is too naïve. She has been trying to play the game by the rules of the game. In fact, her reply to the charge-sheet served by UP Government, has a pivotal point.

Saving Rupee or India Calls for Leaders to Unlearn and Relearn

“When I became the Governor, I had no great knowledge of what monetary policy is about,” admitted a former RBI Governor recently during a public function.

That is rather shocking, as RBI by definition is India's central bank that formulates India's monetary policy with regard to the Indian rupee. In other words, setting the monetary policy is one of the most prominent duties of RBI.

Before you jump into any hasty conclusion about the kind of people, our politicians have made RBI Governors in the past, a quick backgrounder on this ‘ignorant fellow’ is warranted.

Apart from his lack of knowledge about monetary policy, he was reasonably educated and experienced. He had worked for UNCTAD, was Adviser to Ministry of Foreign Trade, Secretary in Finance Ministry, and was Chief Economic Adviser to FM. By way of education, he had his post-graduation in Economics from Cambridge and his Doctorate in Economics from Oxford.

But monetary policy was monetary policy. If he didn’t know that, he didn’t know that. Period.

Having divulged that much, no marks for guessing who this ‘ignorant fellow’ was. PM Indira Gandhi and FM Pranab Mukherjee selected Dr. Manmohan Singh as the RBI Governor in 1982 for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, he seemed to know ‘a little more’ economics than either of them. Secondly, whether they knew about his ignorance about monetary policy or not, they knew that he was very capable of learning.

So, what did Dr. Singh do at that time? In that same recent speech, he continues, “…and therefore, I asked the late Prof. Sukhamoy Chakravarty to head a committee to look at the functioning, the goals, the means, and measures of monetary policy, and that report was pretty influential for a period of time.”

Yes, once upon a time, such strategies were enough. Those were simpler times. If you didn’t know anything, it was enough to learn. Of course, you should have the faculty for learning. We should call it the Manmohan era.

Even before that there was an even simpler era. When there was no great faculty for learning.

When Finance Ministry itself was occupied mostly by not economists but politicians. Jawaharlal Nehru, Morarji Desai, Indira Gandhi, Charan Singh, R Venkataramanan, VP Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, ND Tiwari, and Madhu Dandavate were all politicians with limited knowledge of economics, but who served as India’s Finance Ministers. We should call it the Rajiv era.

But we can’t find fault with any of them. It was the simplest of times after our Independence and that kind of knowledge was more than enough. Learning itself was not required, as leadership was enough. There were other unsung heroes willing to do the job in background.

But, unfortunately, both these simpler eras are over. Leaders unwilling to learn are not enough. Even leaders willing to learn are not enough. Because, complexity has grown exponentially.

Celebrated futurist Alvin Toffler predicted it correctly. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ”

If literates of 21st century should do this much, what should be expected of leaders?

As a nation, we have so much to unlearn and relearn. We have to unlearn habits like imported fuel, imported gold, overspending, fiscal indiscipline, corruption, un-productivity, inefficiency, unaccountability, and even, over-reliance on parliamentary democracy vis-à-vis newer forms like direct democracy.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Manmohan Singh admitted his ignorance in front of Dr. D Subbarao and Dr. Raghuram Rajan. Dr. Singh was rather appalled that the very report on monetary policy by Prof. Sukhamoy Chakravarty that he commissioned in 1982 is still being used by RBI as the primary document in setting monetary policy!

He also had two other advices for Dr. Rajan - ask smarter professionals around and build consensus. Looking from where he stands now, it is one lesson that Dr. Singh has painfully unlearned and relearned.

Is IAS Under Siege by IOUs?

Indian Administrative Service is truly at crossroads. On one hand, politicians have become increasingly adept at creating I Owe You s (IOUs) with which they control IAS officers for their own advantage at a later stage. On the other hand, non-IAS luminaries are increasingly getting a role in governing this country, due to their specialized knowledge and experience. Both camps have enough role models to choose from, role models who distinguish themselves for their expertise as well as outstanding ability to shun IOUs. 
 

“I have a high regard for politicians. I think there are at least 20 politicians I can name off the hat who are better in intellect, integrity, and sincerity to their jobs than any bureaucrat on or across my radar in all my years of service,” said an IAS officer recently, who was most unlikely to have said so.

When one has been reposted 45 times within 20 years - mostly believed to be on the behest of politicians - and still says this, the real shock is whether senior IAS officer Dr. Ashok Khemka’s words is more a pat on the back for honest politicians, or more a kick on the butt for scheming IAS colleagues.

While most senior or celebrity-status IAS officers refrained from coming to the support of Durga Shakti Nagpal, and hid behind the too-late response by IAS Association, Khemka’s support was spontaneous. "What she did as a young officer is commendable. Very few young IAS officers would have dared to do this," says Khemka.

Sonia Gandhi’s support to Durga was also spontaneous. "We must ensure that the officer is not unfairly treated," Sonia wrote to PM, hours within the issue unfolded, almost a week before even the IAS Association itself could come up with a defence for Durga.

But then this was one Sonia move that many couldn’t fully appreciate for that obvious reason - she was not seen supporting Khemka who was allegedly victimised for moving against her son-in-law.

But Congressmen were quick to point out the differences. Khemka was not suspended by any Congress Governments, whereas Durga was not just suspended, but suspended “within 40 minutes”, according to an SP leader. Secondly, Khemka is a seasoned officer who knows how to defend himself, while Durga is among the youngest of IAS officers.

Anyway, there is little that Dr. Manmohan Singh could do to help Durga, as long as Durga herself was not seeking help from the Centre, was PMO’s stand. Seasonal Magazine asked  TKA Nair, Adviser to PM, on whether the Durga episode shows that IAS officers need more protection. “The protective mechanisms are already there,” says TKA, but then adds, “But the more pertinent issue is the lack of motivation. Everything boils down to human resources. And humans can’t ever be conquered except through motivation.”

For a moment it was not clear what Nair meant, but the very next moment, key Akhilesh Yadav aide Ramgopal Yadav’s chest-thumping bravado came to mind. Irritated by Centre‘s third letter to UP on the issue, Ramgopal had retorted, "If this undue pressure continues, my government will write to the Centre to take back all IAS and IPS officers, and we will continue with state officers."

Mind you, he is the cleanest Samajwadi Yadav out there, who has already advised Akhilesh and dad Mulayam that Durga should be reinstated.

But Akhilesh is peeved beyond consolation - not with Durga - but with UP IAS Association. Weren’t things even worse, just years earlier, Akhilesh asks. According to UP’s young and dashing CM, IAS officers had to remove their shoes before meeting former CM Mayawati, and the UP IAS Association had gone into hibernation during her tenure even unable to protest the alleged murder of an IAS colleague.

Akhilesh also stakes claim for reinstating freedom for IAS officers in the state, and for even rejuvenating UP IAS Association. But thereby creating powerful “I Owe You s” (IOUs) for all IAS officers to repay.

In financial parlance, an IOU is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of repayment. IOUs usually specify the debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor. In some cases, IOUs may be redeemable for a specific product or service rather than a quantity of currency.

This definition of IOUs perfectly match Akhilesh’s credit policies. Durga took on a key SP ally, the sand mafia. She didn’t respect the IOU. Still, pardonable. But then comes a rare opportunity to kill two birds with one shot. Durga demolishes an in-construction mosque’s compound wall because it is coming up in government land.

Even a committee of the UP Sunni Waqf Board who visited the place was of the view that Durga had done no wrong, and that she had only tried to help the community by advising them the correct procedure to follow.

But by that time, the state intelligence unit had warned of possible communal tension due to the demolition. What more could a savvy political party like the SP hope for? Eventually, even the full Waqf Board would ally with Akhilesh. If even the Waqf Board can do a volte-face and support him, what prevents the UP IAS Association - which owes considerable more IOUs - from supporting his masterly political move, is precisely Akhilesh’s peeve.

The Durga episode or even the Khemka episode is not earth-shattering by Indian standards. But these highlight the power and expectations from IOUs, as well as what happens when IAS officers who doesn’t have any damn IOU to care about, go about doing their duty.

Seasonal Magazine recently quizzed ex-CAG Vinod Rai about his interesting position post-retirement that he faced no political pressure at all. Was he being just politically correct, we asked. “No, I am not being politically correct at all. There was absolutely no covert political pressure from any quarters, including PMO and FMO. The government has been very fair towards CAG.”

But then he is Vinod Rai. Many things are left unsaid, but clear. He was a student of Dr. Manmohan Singh at Delhi School of Economics. Equally close to P Chidambaram. So, when then Principal Secretary of PM, TKA Nair, reportedly suggested his name for CAG, Dr. Singh and Chidambaram concurred. Rai had just retired. Still, he was offered the plum post. Other officers might have thought about it as IOUs. But not Vinod Rai. Why should he? There is still no evidence that he campaigned actively to become the CAG. So why should he owe IOUs?

Senior IRS officer and Kochi Customs Commissioner Dr. KN Raghavan puts it more succinctly. Commenting on potential political pressure, he replied to a Seasonal Magazine query this way, “It depends on your conduct as an officer. If we give out the right signals about our intention to keep our integrity, nobody would bother us. In the final tally, what everyone appreciates and wants is an honest officer.”

But like TKA Nair, he too doesn’t feel that there is need for more protection. When Seasonal Magazine asked him whether the Durga episode calls for more protection for civil servants, Dr. Raghavan replied, “Personally, I don’t think there is any need for additional protection for civil service officers. The system already has the necessary checks and balances, and grievance redressal mechanisms.”

So, does that mean there is no political pressure or that political pressure is ok? Dr. Raghavan says, “Regarding my own experience, I have completed 23 years of service in the Centre and various states including Kerala. I can say with certainty that I have never been pressured by any politician or party.”

But then Dr. Raghavan admits that he hasn’t yet worked in Mayawati’s or Akhilesh’s UP.  “I have not worked in many states to comment on the situation there, but I am confident that an honest officer can indeed survive in this country.”

Yes, an honest IAS officer can, but don’t expect the going to be easy. An honest officer should be willing to undergo the trials and tribulations that Durga, or Khemka, or Ashish Kumar, or Raju Narayanaswamy, or hundreds of other such honest officers have had to undergo. But then if they don’t care a damn about such hardships, the path ahead is clearer.

Says Raju Narayanaswamy, who has been sidelined by all political parties in Kerala for not toeing to their line, "I lead an ordinary life and have no problem in travelling by bus or by boat."

But then there is the question of sheer competency. Did India or Kerala really use Raju’s skills? Not even by a long shot. Raju has always been an extremely bright fellow who topped his classes in matriculation, plus-two, IIT JEE, and 1992 IAS entrance. He was offered a scholarship by MIT in USA, but chose IAS. But instead of putting his superlative skills in information technology to nation’s use in vital technical areas, he has been sidelined beyond any logic.

That is where the brilliance of someone like Vinod Rai becomes clear. When Seasonal Magazine asked about his advice for IAS officers, Rai put it bluntly, “Always play by the rules of the game. That is very important in this profession if any IAS officer wants to be a high achiever.” That survival instinct is what enabled Rai not to ruffle too many feathers during most part of his career, so that he could scale the apex of that career, and then deliver spectacularly.

Then there is the question of how skilled are IASers vis-à-vis non IAS leaders. Both sides have an almost equal number of luminaries.

While the impressive achievements of leaders like Vinod Rai, YV Reddy, Arvind Kejriwal, Yashwant Sinha, & Aruna Roy would make it appear that good IASers are capable of shining on and off civil service, the other side is even more attractive, with the impressive achievements of Dr. Manmohan Singh, E Sreedharan, Jean Dreze, Madhav Gadgil, & Nandan Nilekani to name a few.

If you add the unparalleled achievements of political leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and AB Vajpayee, or crusaders like Anna Hazare to the equation, the balance of competence obviously shifts to non-IASers.

It is also noteworthy that a non-IAS person, Dr. Raghuram Rajan, has been selected as the new RBI Governor, after three successive terms by IASers.

Both groups have their own advantages. Tom Jose, IAS, who is currently Managing Director of KSIDC, a development financial institution, explained the IAS advantage to Seasonal Magazine this way, “As IAS officers, we are expected to be master of all trades.” But also an MBA graduate, he adds, “A background in business definitely helps.”

Non IASers on the other hand, usually comes on board with in-depth knowledge or practical experience in specialized fields. The best example would be Dr. Manmohan Singh himself, who is a rare concoction of achievements and fortune. A disciplined academic from his early days, Manmohan stood first in his classes more often than not, and completed his Economics Tripos at University of Cambridge's St John's College. At Cambridge, Manmohan was tutored by some of the world's most renowned economists like Joan Robinson and Nicholas Kaldor. After Cambridge, Manmohan returned and started teaching at Punjab University. Later, he enrolled at Oxford's Nuffield College for his doctorate, under the supervision of IMD Little, one of the towering economists of recent times.

After Oxford, Dr. Singh went on a career that would be the dream of many for the rich experiences it offered in India as well as abroad. He worked for United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for three years. After getting noticed as a radical economist, Dr. Singh was made Advisor to Ministry of Foreign Trade. In 1969, Dr. Singh became a Professor of International Trade at the Delhi School of Economics, the time when he taught Vinod Rai as a student.

Dr. Singh was again called in to be part of the government, becoming successively Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (during the tenure of Pranab Mukherjee as FM), and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India. For three years, Dr. Singh was Secretary General of the South Commission, an independent economic policy think tank headquartered in Geneva. He again returned to India to become Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Economic Affairs, when VP Singh was the PM. Dr. Singh would later become Chairman of UPSC and Chairman of UGC, when he was called in to be the Finance Minister by PV Narasimha Rao in 1991.

Few IASers would have gone through such a diverse portfolio of experiences. But the reverse can also be said of him. For a leader that much experienced, Dr. Singh has been failing to deliver, especially during his second term as PM.

IASers can also be proud that for all his competence, it took the initiative of AN Verma IAS, then Principal Secretary in PMO, to identify and convince Rao about choosing Dr. Singh as FM. That is why many regard AN Verma as a co-architect of economic liberalization.

Manmohan remembers that day this way, "On the day Rao was formulating his cabinet, he sent his Principal Secretary to me saying, `The PM would like you to become the Minister of Finance’. I didn’t take it seriously. He eventually tracked me down the next morning, rather angry, and demanded that I get dressed up and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in."

So, the roles of IASers and non-IASers have been complementary, and should remain complementary. What is of greater importance is promotion of superlative merit and sheer experience, whether one is from IAS or not. 

And needless to say, the basic framework for steering clear of IOUs is needed for both. Says Dr. Raghavan, IRS, to Seasonal Magazine, “Often the problem starts when an officer takes refuge with a politician to get any undeserved favour. Then it is a given that the politician would want a favour in return. Civil service officers should steer clear of such practices, and everything will be fine.”

In fact, both camps should steer clear of that. That is how E Sreedharan took a career politician and then Railway Minister like Jaffer Sharief to task, and could prevail. Otherwise Konkan would have been a different story. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived to unleash the Metro revolution in key Indian cities.

5 Things Indians are Doing Right, Lately

Take any day, or week, India has no dearth of profound problems that have no easy solutions. Terrorism has transcended Hindu and Mulsim properties, and reached the door steps of hitherto unaffected Buddhist properties, as seen in the Mahabodhi attacks. An otherwise industrialized and progressive state like Tamilnadu can still burn when a Dalit marries an uppercaste girl. While in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, issues like Telengana looks like it will linger forever without an acceptable resolution, as seen in recent one-upmanship by each side. And in which other country would we have a case like the unique Ishrat Jahan fake encounter, where an investigating agency is pitted against an intelligence agency? And there is no dearth for natural calamities and their mismanagement, either. By the time the last choppers had arrived from Uttarakhand, it was time for Assam floods. Getting things right, the first time or even the tenth time, has never been India’s forte. Even when nations big and small provide numerous progressive examples, we have been loath to emulate. But if really pressed against the wall, India can start moving. And if and when we start moving, there can be serious momentum, as we are huge in size. But it is erroneous to think that a specific party or coalition is doing the good work, or not doing the good work. Politicians may claim many stuff, but in the Indian context, stuff happens because it can’t be delayed any further. So, here is a quick look at five things that have started happening, despite all odds:

#1. Yes, We Understand, Gold Can Hurt:

Finally, the realization has arrived. To quote an Indian proverb itself, even amrut can be lethal in excess. For decades, India and Indians glossed over eating gold for breakfast, lunch, & supper. But we forgot two realities. One, we can’t be greedy with something that needs to be imported. Secondly, it is always foolish to bet against the dollar. US not only controls 20% of world GDP, but its currency remains the foreign exchange of choice for economic leviathans including China & Japan. Euro has long back opted out of that race. The first reality finally forced P Chidambaram’s hand to squeeze gold imports to save CAD, while the second reality caused gold to crash against dollar’s rise, the moment America wished for it. But needless to say, a lot more can be done by India and Indians on the import front, if there is a will. What about Oil, which is a much larger and damaging import than gold?

#2. Only Cricket Can Cure Cricket:

What can cure the ills that have besieged Indian cricket? From lowly spot-fixing to serious match-fixing to royal daylight robberies by the administration itself, things look un-cleanable for Indian cricket. At least as long as this opaque monster called BCCI controls it, whether it is headed by Srinivasan or Dalmiya. Or is it? Not when Captain Cool & Co finally decides to deliver, but mind you, only on being pushed against a wall. Then everything falls in place, including cloudbursts from Shikhar Dhawan’s bat. IPL might be evil by design, but it took the IPL to force Dhawan out of a partly imposed and partly self-imposed hibernation from Indian team. In the final reckoning, only playing pure cricket with full might can cure cricket. Not managing cricket or gossiping cricket or glamourising cricket or analysing cricket or even investigating cricket. But should that mean Dhoni should be pardoned unconditionally for conflict of interest? It shouldn’t be that way, ideally. Anyway cheerleaders are gone for good, and it is a symbolic victory for pure cricket as well as the Indian culture.

#3. Justice Arrives Despite Delays:

If you buy assault rifles that can kill hundreds within seconds, in the name of self-defence, that too from terrorists that are plotting against the very fabric of India, you are in trouble. Irrespective of who you are. That is the simple message Indian judicial system delivered to Sanjay Dutt. The world might have laughed, as justice arrived 20 years late! But remember, this is India, where justice delayed is not fully justice denied. It takes time, as we are slow. But we will, one day. Not even the full might of Bollywood, politics, and the costliest lawyers could save Dutt from a 5-year term. Next on row, is a bigger superstar, who was DUI when he rammed his Toyota Landcruiser at 100 km/hour on to a bakery killing one and hurting three, all of whom were poor guys sleeping on the pavement. For years, Salman Khan evaded justice and almost went scot-free. But that is understandable, as this is India, but now his time has finally arrived, to be charged for culpable homicide and other charges. But the bad thing is that justice delayed is justice denied itself. And more than that, the cases of Dutt and Khan remain the exceptions, not the rule. And the super-rich Salman, instead of compromising and settling the case honourably - with some victims and their kin still expressing no enmity with him - has recently resorted to pursue his case vigorously by launching a dedicated website telling his side of the story, which has already run into a controversy as the matter is sub-judice, and attracted a separate litigation.  

#4. We Understand Disaster Management:

We recently pulled off a neat one. Against a natural calamity that instantaneously took the life of more than a thousand, and which could have taken the life of tens of thousands more, we did a little bit of disaster management. That ‘we’ is a misnomer. None of us had anything to do with it, really. The unbelievable work at Uttarakhand was primarily done by Indo Tibetan Border Police. And it was no easy work, by any measure. Needless to say, there were no land routes or airstrips post the cloudburst. And no choppers either with them. So, what ITBP did was hire a small private chopper, make a small team land, who built multiple helipads, on to which more private choppers were flown in. But with these small chopper sorties, evacuation was slow, exposing nearly a lakh stranded citizens - many of them senior and junior citizens - to grave danger. So what ITBP did was create a new 2.5 feet ‘road‘. Not easy, as the gradient is 80 degree, which means hills had to be chipped deeply. And at many places in this track, the citizens had to be helped with ropes and ladders. Meanwhile, other defence units like Army, Air Force, and National Disaster Response Force, were pressed into action, which also helped in distributing food and medicines. The toughest job before ITBP was to ignore dead people, console relatives of those who died, avoid hysteric stampedes, stay unemotional, and focus only on the alive. We can be proud that ITBP is a part of what we call India. We are still bad at many things. Our met guys are still not up to the mark. Not savvy enough to predict cloudbursts. Our leadership’s anticipatory measures are also poor. But Uttarakhand-2013 proved that we can rely on our disaster recovery teams.

#5. We Still Save:

This one is the queerest one in this list. Because, it is not a trait that we acquired lately. But still it should be very much here, because this has been the last Indian fort which still holds back against the onslaught of globalization. The West has been doing its very best to penetrate this stronghold of the Indian economy using varied lures including cultural tricks like consumption and overspending. After all why should anyone save the old-fashioned way? Aren’t everyone getting affluent? And can’t our kids fend for themselves? For a while, it seemed that India would be tempted, with our savings rate dipping drastically. But fortunately, India didn’t fall for the trap. Better put would be that Indians didn’t fall for it, as it was perhaps our nervousness with the country‘s state of affairs that refrained us. To put this in its right perspective, let us start with the savings rate of UK, our former ruler. Gross National Savings as a % of GDP stood at 10.75% in United Kingdom as of FY‘13 end. United States fared much better with the FY’13 savings rate coming in at 13.84%. Americans are obviously getting nervous with their own financial security. Brazil, which is often compared with India as part of BRICS, saved more, with this rate coming in at 16.15%. Compare all these with India, and we will begin to understand why this economy still ticks. India’s Gross National Savings as a % of GDP came in at a high 30.20%! Now, everyone knows why it is so difficult to compare savings rates across countries. Generally, high-tax regimes tend to have higher savings rates, to escape taxes. That is why China whose tax slabs range from 5%-45% has a higher savings rate than India whose slabs are from 0-33%. Ironically, low-tax high-income economies also tend to have high savings rate, because, well, what else to do with all that money! That is why countries like Kuwait and Qatar have high savings rate. But India’s case is uniquely impressive, considering where we stand - medium income and medium taxes. It has proved to be an insurance we created for ourselves.

Maoism - Is it Really Arundhati's Romance That Jairam Ramesh Hates?

By Carl Jaison

“Maoist-Naxals are terrorists. They resist developmental activities in rural areas initiated by democratically elected bodies; be it the panchayat or gram sabhas or the ruling party. They advocate tribal warfare, not welfare.” Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development, didn’t mince words when asked to remark on the recent bloodshed caused by the naxals, in which top Congress leaders and security officers lost their lives after being brutally massacred in a well-planned ambush. He swore that all possible measures will be taken to curb the Naxal menace, which has severely dented the domestic security in the Red Corridor regions.

The Naxals are ideologically anarchistic which assumes the form of armed struggle for accomplishment of economic development and liberation from oppressive rule. They have always adhered to a hardliner stance, giving little room for diplomatic dialogues and political engagement. Therefore, in light of the recent events, the Minister's comments are indeed void of the usual Congress-BJP blame game, even though he suggested that tackling the Maoist insurgency is the responsibility of the respective state governments. While it has been overwhelmingly accepted that such kind of internal terror needs to be countered collectively, the measures in place as of now seem to suggest that the burden is entirely of the state policing units.

The biggest setback for a peaceful agreement is their continued refusal to organize themselves into political entities and contest in democratic elections. They have repeatedly claimed to have received support from the tribal population to carry out their activities. If this is to be believed, the Maoists possess the impetus to fight in the elections, being already in an advantageous position. Jairam Ramesh believes that the terror outfit should take a leaf from Arvind Kejriwal by challenging the government through election face-offs and winning democratic support.

There is a need for a long-term solution to tackle the Maoist insurgency by a holistic approach. While the Maoists have taken to arms in the name of the welfare of the adivasis, there is too little to substantiate that their recent attacks were directed towards the liberation of tribal population from social and legal injustice as they have stated through a video-release that the prime aim was to target the perpetrators of the Salwa Judum (an anti-Naxalite movement spearheaded by slain Congress leader, Mahendra Karma) atrocities. The latest developments prove beyond doubt that the Maoist focus has been on toppling the government in the guise of tribal benevolence.

The Salwa Judum movement, however, involved the active participation of both tribals and trained police forces, which was eventually scrapped by the Supreme Court owing to its inhumane conduct and the very idea of civilians (especially the youth) being trained to handle guns and grenades.

Does the Maoists always don the role of the villain while the state plays the role of the protagonist, who will eventually prevail over the ‘bad guys’? If Indian movie scripts are the standard of assessment, then the climax is pretty much hero-oriented, giving little detail to the historical context of the villainous acts of the antihero.

The ruling governments in Chhattisgarh, over the past 13 years since its recognition as an Indian state, have largely adopted an exploitative policy, capitalizing on the mineral-rich areas. The illegal seizure of forest lands for commercial expansion has deprived the tribal people of their source of livelihood. Due to the presence of large forest belts in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh etc, the governments realized the prospect of clearing these lands for developmental projects as a tool for appeasing the electorate. But it is the tribal populace which has been gravely affected by the ‘Doctrine of pre-eminent domain’ whereby the state enjoys automatic and unilateral access to land and resources. This has been cited by renowned columnist Vinod Sharma as the "major reason for spread of Left Wing Terrorism (LWT) in India."

The government has failed on two fronts, barring the security lapses. The mining policy has accounted for large scale erosion of the topographical splendor and restricted access of the forest-dwellers to these areas for gathering food resources. The government should focus on implementing an environment-friendly mining mechanism, which would meet the requirements of the raw-materials industry and at the same time leave the essential resource-base untouched and unaffected by illegal encroachments. The Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act is pending approval in the assembly.

Another area where the government has fared poorly is on the recognition of tribal rights through the fair execution of the Enforcement of Forest Rights Act, 2006, which acknowledges the tribal communities’ first right over forest land. There is clinching evidence to prove the denial of land deeds to rightful claimants belonging to the tribal communities. Thus before the government envisages on the gallant proposal to implement the Integrated Action Plan (IAP), it must look into the aforementioned legislations which require an unprejudiced and righteous application.

The Maoists are steadily taking advantage of the governments’ failure to accommodate tribal interests. Therefore, the support of the tribal population is crucial for the government’s political existence as well as for the success of the counter-terrorism strategy. Deploying more troops in Maoist-dominated zones will only further incite violence from their side. The Maoists enjoy an upper-hand geographically in these regions and this can be effectively tackled by strict monitoring by the existing forces, which need to be properly armed with ammunition and weaponry.

All forms of tangible developmental structuring is facing stiff backlash from the Maoists. Thus it needs to be reiterated that government should improve the living conditions of the tribal populace by sheltering their long-held beliefs and practices and to avoid serving the interests of foreign associates itching to drive in international capital. Sources have suggested that the ‘domain doctrine’ at the government’s behest has increasingly benefited large mining companies at the cost of tribal prosperity.

Communities have been relocated hastily to provide for industrial space to these MNC’s, which in turn has negatively impacted the forest environment. The excessive exploitation of the voiceless tribal population is being facilitated by a lack of grievance redressal system and dispossession of resources, which has significantly highlighted the absence of equitable justice. There have been cases where the forest officials conspired with the timber mafia to extract the vegetative cover of these vast tracts of land.

India cannot wait until Minister for Home Affairs, Sushil Kumar Shinde, returns from holidaying in the USA. The Law ministry and the Home minister of the state need to make the first intelligent move of considering the problems faced by the tribal population, which is definitely not logistical development, but by ensuring that they gain their traditional access to economic resources, some of which are venerated. The government must act fast if it wants to prevent the emergence of tribal insurgents in Central India, similar to the Naga insurgents in the North-East, who off late remain subdued owing to an ease in relations with the government after the latter’s concerted effort to realize their demands.

Arundhati Roy, who was recently criticized by Jairam Ramesh for making attempts at trying to ‘romanticize’ Maoist rebellion, in a detailed report written in 2010 titled ‘Walking with the comrades’ voiced her inclination towards the justification of Maoist insurrections: “This legacy of rebellion has left behind a furious people who have been deliberately isolated and marginalized by the Indian government. The Indian Constitution, the moral underpinning of Indian democracy, was adopted by Parliament in 1950. It was a tragic day for tribal people. The Constitution ratified colonial policy and made the State custodian of tribal homelands. Overnight, it turned the entire tribal population into squatters on their own land. It denied them their traditional rights to forest produce; it criminalized a whole way of life. In exchange for the right to vote, it snatched away their right to livelihood and dignity.”

Need is Not Rahul or Modi, But a Government of Professionals

The rise of Rahul Gandhi in Congress and that of Narendra Modi in BJP has been simultaneous. While Rahul's rise is an after effect of Congress workers yearning for someone young and charismatic after Rajiv Gandhi, the rise of Modi is seen as the result of BJP workers thirsting for perhaps the only leader who can make the party win against UPA's and third-front's tactics. The heightened demand for new leadership now is due to increased chances of Congress deciding on a snap poll soon after the Budget. But whether these leaders finally end up as frontrunners for Prime Ministership, the need of the hour is that whichever party wins, the new government should include professionals from all core sectors of innovation - like science, technology, engineering, and mathmatics. Indian politics has always been dominated by other professionals like lawyers, economists, and of course, career politicians, and their very nature of being non-innovative has been India's curse. Also of importance is selecting professionals with formidable track-records in their own fields, and it will go a long way in stopping the rot due to be being governed by career politicians who haven't done anything productive or professional in their lives, apart from staking a claim of being leaders of masses.  

USA recently grabbed world eyeballs for coming up with a new legislative proposal. Award green cards for all those who complete a postgraduate degree in science, technology, engineering, or maths, the so-called STEM fields, from any US University.

Indian and Chinese media were suddenly abuzz with excitement, with commentators from both countries claiming that the largest beneficiaries would be students from their own countries.

Very true. But the excitement was as though India and China were going to be the beneficiaries.

Far from it. Here is what Republican Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and the proponent of this bipartisan proposal had to say, "Cannot afford to train these foreign graduates in the U.S. and then send them back home to work for our competitors."

Competitors. That is how US views China and India. Period.

But that is not the issue. America is awakening to the supreme realization that they need to steal young talents in STEM from the world over, and make them US citizens, if they are to sustain their global economic leadership that still now seems invincible compared with the rest of the world.

Now, that is what is called foresight. Remember, these are the same legislators who would oppose any move to allow more H-1B or other employment visas to the Chinese or Indians.

Focus on pilfering global STEM talent also reveals two other aspects. Firstly, America can take care of its own in other core developmental academic fields like economics, management, business etc. Affluent American youth is not keen to pursue academically tougher fields like science, engineering, & maths.

Secondly - and this is the key point -US policymakers foresee that it is leadership in science and technology that will create long-term value addition to the economy, nation, and standards of living.

Maybe this is an inevitable backlash to the first decade of this millennium, when economists, bankers, and businessmen emerged as the new key leaders of world society. That emergence, in turn, was natural, emerging from a decade (1990-2000) that ended with Y2K debacle and started off with the dotcom burst of 2000-01.

But are we having too much of economists, bankers, and businessmen, these days? India has so far aped US in this regard, and looks ripe for a US-like course correction. The newfound American love for STEM was accelerated by the dubious role economists, bankers, and big businesses played in the 2008 financial crisis.

The problem with economists and bankers is as the saying goes - if all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.

Just look at the way even the Indian media and public mindspace have been hijacked by these economists and bankers, during the last several years.

What is our biggest problem? Anyone who reads newspapers or watches TV would blurt out - Fiscal Deficit. Our second biggest problem? Current Account Deficit. And what can be done about them? Government should turn its fiscal levers and the central banker should turn its monetary levers.

Bullshit. When earlier in our history have we sat as a nation, eager to know whether the RBI Governor would be kind enough to turn his interest lever a notch down on a particular date? And applaud when he invents smaller and smaller increments to do it?

Bullshit really. Is that our big problem or our big solution? Absolutely not. But our economists and bankers have conditioned us to believe this kind of crap.

What is really our big problem? Zero innovation. What is the only solution? Innovate aggressively.

When was the last time economists, bankers, lawyers, or activists invented anything?

Starting from the humble wheel, none of the human inventions that prospered the world, like - tools, printing press, fertilizers, automobiles, electricity, anaesthetics, light bulb, telephone, antibiotics, television, computer, space science, internet, and mobiles - were by any of these guys.

At best, the only thing that economists and bankers successfully invented was modern fiat currency in the 1970s, by which money lost its intrinsic value or convertibility to gold! And in a sense, that led to all the subsequent asset bubbles and crashes including the tech bubble/bust, realty bubble/bust, derivatives bubble/bust, and the ongoing gold bubble that is yet to burst.

And what has lawmakers and lawyers ever invented? Tons of jargon, and a maze of legalese that ensures that the common man will never master it enough to obtain justice, even while the ‘adjournment machinery’ ensures that it is a profitable profession for all involved.

This is not to degrade any profession - be it economists or lawyers. But it is high time that the society realizes that economists, lawyers, or bankers alone can’t solve our problems. At best what they can do is administer professionally, and tweak the system a bit when necessary. They can never be expected to invent or even innovate.

That is why we need a more inclusive government of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Just think of the enormous inspiration that was unleashed when Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was made the Indian President. Reading his ‘India 2020’ is a refreshing change, as that is about progressing as a nation through science and technology, by using innovations like wind power and solar energy, and not about progress through tweaking interest rates.

Similar was the case when Rajiv Gandhi followed technocrat Sam Pitroda’s suggestions to unleash the telecom revolution, much earlier in the country. A more recent example is how rapidly and smoothly software technologist and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani implemented the Unique Identification (Aadhar) system. Distinguished railway engineer E Sreedharan is another glowing example, who as Metro Man, was pivotal in the success of Delhi Metro and other such projects. Sreedharan continues to be in demand, even in his senior age, having been inducted by Tatas as a Board Member in one of their Trusts, apart from his professional service in Kerala.

In a recent brilliant article, titled, ‘Why We Can’t Solve Big Problems‘, Editor of MIT Technology Review, Jason Pontin compares the Apollo Program that put the first ever men on Moon with the history of innovation since then. He rightly finds that compared with the Moon Mission, nothing since then has ever come close in human achievement. Pontin attributes it to several factors like, President John F Kennedy’s ambition to defeat arch-rival USSR, huge public funding, a coming together of diverse scientific and engineering talent pool, public-private partnership, and military style administrators for the project. Apollo is said to have achieved in 10 years what was destined to take a 100 years or more.

Feats such as that are possible by India too in more productive fields. But it needs a lot more than economists, bankers, and lawyers. Are our political leaders listening?