Opinion – A political Tsunami has engulfed the country in the wake of the special CBI judge O P Saini acquitting all the 17 accused in the 2G case including the then Telecom minister A Raja and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi on the ground that there was no  criminality or conspiracy in the Spectrum allocation case.

Even as the judgement stunned the ruling BJP at the Centre having the portends of adversely affecting its credibility, the Congress being in the dumps electorally received a highly encouraging shot in the arm. 

There is no doubt about the political equations being redefined and the war among politicians intensifying in the run up to the next general elections in 2019. 

With Congressman Kapil Sibal demanding an apology from the former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, the voluminous judgement must have provided the latter some food for thought. 

There is no doubt that the 2G verdict is damaging for the Modi government. In 2012 the Supreme Court had declared that the allocation of 2G spectrum by the Congress led UPA government was illegal and arbitrary exercise of power thus cancelling all the 122 telecom licences allotted to companies in early 2008 when Raja was the Union Communications minister.

The claim that the 2G scam was the biggest in the country’s history lies in tatters. It is a setback for the NDA which had taken advantage of an all out anti-Congress narrative on the ground that the UPA leadership had indulged in unabashed corruption.  

The verdict is bound to help the opposition consolidate against the NDA. Welcoming the verdict Raja, who spent nearly two years in jail, hit out against “vested interests” sensationalising fabricated allegations. 

“It has been repeatedly proven that the presumptive loss to the exchequer formed the basis for the conspiracy theories was all cooked up”, Raja claimed. The Congress as well as the DMK will be in a position to shake off the impression that they indulged in rampant corruption. 

The Congress affirmed yet again that the spectrum allocation resulted in ‘zero loss’ and that its rule between 2004 and 2014 was not scam tainted as has been made out. The grand old party has had to bear the consequences of this in the elections since Modi assumed the office of Prime Minister in May 2014. 

The 2G saga has brought forth certain issues that public perception and audit reports cannot be the sole basis for criminal trials. The investigating agencies must carefully sift the available material before deciding to prosecute. Eliminating graft from public life is not about making allegations stick during election time but also about meticulous investigation and efficient prosecution. 

The CBI’s image as a premier investigative agency has taken a beating. It has raised serious questions about the manner in which CBI conducts its investigations. The special CBI court took exception to the agency relying on conjectures and speculation. 

There is also a cloud over the present government’s commitment to fighting corruption. Questions have been raised in the social media whether the Modi government triumphed in the 2014 general elections on false accusations of corruption. 

The verdict is also highly embarrassing for the office of the CAG as it alleged a presumptive loss of a whopping Rs 1.76 lakh crores in the coal scam case. 

Pushed to the wall as it were in the wake of the alleged mind boggling scam, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refrained from boasting emphasising the judgement speaks for itself. “The massive propaganda unleashed against the UPA was without any foundation,” maintained Singh. 

Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley contended that the 2G Spectrum allocation was a policy designed to promote corruption. The Central Bureau of Investigation wasted no time in saying it will move the High Court against the acquittals.

The timing of the verdict is significant coming as it does after the Gujarat elections, the home state of Modi, and before the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka in the first half of next year. 

The Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health (REACH) has welcomed the announcement by Mr J.P. Nadda, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, on the commitment to increase health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP from the present 1.15% in the coming financial year.

The announcement is in keeping with the recommendations of the National Health Policy, 2017 to raise expenditure on health to 2.5% by 2025.

“While it is heartening to perceive tangible actions being taken by the Union Government to prioritise health, we urge for adequate attention and proportionate resource allocations for Tuberculosis (TB) in the coming financial year,’’ a statement issued by REACH said here.

Tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of death with an estimated 9 million new cases every year as per data from the World Health Organisation. In India, the disease kills an estimated 480,000 persons annually and more than 1400 every day as per the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis elimination 2017-2025. The high mortalities make TB a public health concern that deserves the collective attention and collaboration of all stakeholders.

The budget for the National Strategic Plan to eliminate Tuberculosis by 2025 has been reduced to Rs 12,000 crore against the required Rs 16,000 crores as recommended by the plan. Despite the nearly two decade long implementation of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP), India has much to do to amplify quality of care, access, monitoring and after-care for a disease of this proportion.

“The present resource allocations for TB are not sufficient to meet the needs of the 14 lakh detected cases of TB annually. The funds are inadequate to cover the missing million cases India sees in TB every year or to achieve coverage for the 28 lakh patients as per WHO’s calculation. The gaps in funds for TB have traditionally affected hiring for key positions at the state for the roll out of the TB programme that in turn affects crucial aspects of quality of care and continuum of services. Fund deficits also affect the availability and access to trained counsellors for TB thereby jeopardising vital aspect of services required for those suffering from the disease,’’ REACH has pointed out in its statement.

“We are cognisant of the decisive measures taken by the government to combat TB. In the last few years, MoHFW has taken concrete steps to scale up testing for TB through enhanced availability of the cartridge- based nucleic acid amplification (CBNAAT) across the country. This has resulted in accurate testing and notifications for TB cases. The Union Government has also been successful in ensuring the implementation of positive ways to capture TB notifications from the private sector. There has been more than a three-fold growth in these notifications. However, there is need to prioritise inter-sectoral convergence efforts to address TB beyond the National Strategic Plan- towards a community engagement and rights based approach to TB as opposed to merely a clinical one. REACH, along with other advocates, experts and TB-affected communities, stands committed to support the government and all its agencies to ensure that we eliminate TB by 2025 alongside assuring continued services, community support and stigma-free life for all those who are affected by the disease,’’ the statement said while adding that a boost to the funds for TB by the Union Government would imply a definitive step towards the larger vision.

REACH, established in 1999 in response to the rolling out of the Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) in Tamil Nadu, supports, cares and provided treatment for TB patients in addition to indulging in research, advocacy, public education and communication.

New Delhi: Eminent architect and educator, Professor Rahul Mehrotra, has called upon the architectural community to re-orient its craft and discipline to meet the changing urban and rural  needs of the 21^st century India.

Delivering the Second Jhabvala Memorial Lecture here, Professor Mehrotra lamented that 99 percent of the professional narrative was devoted to catering to the fancies and preferences of one percent affluent clients. 

According to him this bias was producing “an architecture of indulgence,” ignoring the issues of inequality, pluralism, conservation and ecology.

Professor Mehrotra, who is Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, noted that at the time of Independence there was only one school of architecture and now India could boast of 426 accredited schools. This proliferation in the professional schools and architects was reinforcing the “indulgence” bias.

In his spell-binding lecture, Professor Mehrotra spoke about the profession’s “protocols and practices” which needed a rethink. The Council of Architects needs to encourage young architects to learn about the needs and practices in smaller towns, internships of architectural students need to be in these towns, and the Council should facilitate this. 

He invited the younger practitioners to learn to make a distinction among “patrons, clients and users” and their different needs.

Asserting that there were no “absolute solutions,” Professor Mehrotra argued that  it was imperative for the architects and planners to think of “transition” before working for “transformation.”

In his animated talk, Professor Mehrotra exhorted that it was about time that planning for our cities was liberated of the “tyranny of images.” As he put it,“planners want Delhi or Mumbai to look like Singapore, or Shanghai; then, Nasik wants to look like Mumbai; and, this tyranny perpetuates itself in planners’ imagination— irrespective of the needs, environment, capacities and resources.”

Sharing fascinating details of his iconic work on the planning and architecture at Kumbh Mela, Professor Mehrotra  suggested that “conservation” did not mean status quo and argued that it was possible for a sensitive architect to conserve, preserve yet innovate and improvise.

He illustrated this with examples of his work in Mumbai and Agra. In addition to which he showed examples of a variety of his projects all over India where his social and environmental values are put into practice.

The Jhabvala Memorial Lecture series has been instituted by the School of Planning and Architecture and the Jhabvala family in memory of the legendary Professor CSH Jhabvala. The first lecture was delivered last year by eminent architect, Raj Rewal.

Earlier, Prof. Mehrotra was introduced by Ms Renana Jhabvala. Professor Iftakar Chisti chaired the interactive session after the formal lecture. 

USOF is one organisation in the DoT’s scheme of things which has now become infamous for stalling government projects. Project after project it is creating hurdles which is leading to delay in projects of national importance. Latest in the list is the project for upgradation of mobile services in LWE areas which is hanging fire for months now even as BSNL, the implementing agency, keeps begging for release of funds…

NEW DELHI : Once again the gross apathy of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) in clearing funds for projects of national and strategic importance has come to fore. So much so that the top Department of Telecom (DoT) officials have put on record that if the USOF fails to relax norms for release of funds to BSNL for implementation of projects and stop creating hindrances for the state-owned telecom firm, important projects may not get completed.

The latest case is that of upgrading bandwidth of 198 mobile sites in Left wing extremism (LWE) or Naxal-affected areas in 10 states for which BSNL has been requesting the USOF for months now to release funds to ISRO as VSAT charges so that additional bandwidth could be provided for advanced mobile services. Despite repeated reminders and request letters to USOF, BSNL has failed to get the funds cleared on one pretext or the other. There has been so much of delay that BSNL fears that the project might not take off at all.

At a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary (Telecom) where top DoT, USOF and BSNL officials were present, it was observed that USOF was creating hindrances and making the project unsustainable. BSNL officials expressed dismay over denial of funds to ISRO as bandwidth charges which was also a government-owned entity. To make matters difficult and unreasonable for BSNL, USOF asked it to submit monthly bills that too circle wise at local level despite knowing the fact that VSAT charges are paid centrally for corporate office. All this has led to delay in implementation of project in LWE areas.

The meeting decided that “there are substantial funds which is to be paid to BSNL by USOF. These funds still remain unsettled by USOF on one ground or other, largely on procedural matters which makes things difficult for BSNL. BSNL is of the view that the present USOF implementation system and additional system introduced by USOF is adhoc and is creating hindrances and making this project unsustainable. Until and unless USOF adopt a simplest system for release of funds, that is acceptable to BSNL, this project may not get implemented.”

It is not for the first time that the USOF has been accused of delaying and stalling important projects being implemented by BSNL, particularly those keenly watched by the Prime Minister’s Office which include improving mobile connectivity in LWE area and North-eastern states. It is due to the apathy of the USOF that there has been undue delay in getting the North-east tower project kick-started despite the tender process getting completed months ago. Similarly, the phase-II of LWE project is also hanging fire due to whimsical ways of the USOF.

“USOF clearly understands how crucial these projects are for the progress and development of rural and remote areas in LWE-affected states and the Northeast, still it creates hurdles by putting unreasonable and unfeasible conditions thus delaying these projects. The PMO has been pushing for earlier completion of mobile connectivity projects in these areas, but it is due to lackadaisical attitude of USOF  that the hands of BSNL, which is the implementing agency, are tied. USOF is also creating problems for vendors who are operating towers of phase I of LWE project by not releasing funds of time. Telecom Secretary has warned the USOF on several occasions on the matter but still nothing has changed,” said a senior DoT official.

Jaipur : The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival will be charmed by the talents of some of the cinema’s greatest finds as it unveils from January 25 to 29 next year.  

As a platform for thought provoking conversations and iconic debates, the Festival has evolved to become a global literary phenomenon. From Rishi Kapoor’s morning rendition of Main Shayyar to Nahi, To Sonam Kapoor’s star-studded presence, the Festival will have it all.

Multi-faceted Indian film director, Vishal Bhardwaj has cinematically interpreted three Shakespearean tragedies into remarkable movies like — Maqbool, Omkara and Haider. He will indulge in a riveting session to dive deep into Shakespeare’s masterpieces. In yet another session, he will shed light on cinematic narrative, literature and music, and the parallel line between the arts. This is also where he will formally launch his new book of poems, Nude.

The much-celebrated actor-turned-author, Soha Ali khan is the daughter of a legendary film heroine and a cricket hero. Owing to her royal legacy and Tagore ancestral history, she will take a pragmatic approach in an engrossing session at fame and glitz in the film industry based on her candid memoir ‘The Perils of Being Moderately Famous’.

With a family lineage that can be traced back to seven generations of writers, Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar is truly the epitome of expression. In an extraordinary session, Javed along with Shabana Azmi will rekindle the magic of poetry to celebrate this literary legacy, and the continuing traditions of Urdu literature.

Mira Nair, who kickstarted her film career as an actor has emerged as an acclaimed filmmaker with award-winning documentaries like So Far From India and India Cabaret. She has constantly challenged stereotypes and interrogated the margins in her famed work. In a scintillating session with Sanjoy K. Roy, she will speak about her work, beliefs and obsessions.

The brainchild behind some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi movies like Black Friday, Gangs of Wasseypur and Dev D, Anurag Kashyap has been on quite a spectacular journey as a filmmaker. There’s no doubt his portrayal of real life situations cinematically in movies is impeccable and his presence on the esteemed stage undoubtedly makes the Jaipur Literature Festival unmissable in 2018.

Azim Premji University has invited applications from fresh and experienced graduates for its various Post Graduate Programmes.

The two-year full time Postgraduate Programmes (M.A. Education, M.A. Development and M.A. Public Policy & Governance) and One year Programme (LL.M. in Law and Development) aim to develop competent and committed professionals who can significantly contribute to the Indian education and social sector.

The University offers a unique learning experience with a curriculum of core courses that provide the foundation, more than 100 interdisciplinary / theme-based electives and flexibility to design your own course through the ‘Independent study’ option, a press release issued by the University said.

Integrated field practice at the University is a unique learning experience with `practicums’ every week, longer exposure visits, field research, internships opportunities and independent field projects. Apart from these, courses in art and craft, music, cinema, literature etc. and other learning opportunities through workshops, seminars, guest lectures and events are organised in the campus, the press release said.

The University has an explicit commitment towards supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, based on parental education, income, caste, and gender.  It provides extensive financial assistance for deserving students through full and part scholarships.
S. Giridhar, Chief Operating Officer, Azim Premji University said, “Given our clear social purpose, it is heartening to see that almost all our graduates chose to work in the education and development sector, many of them in rural areas. They have taken the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to social change on the ground.”

Students can apply online on the University website. Applicants will be shortlisted based on a written test and personal interview. The final date for applications for the Postgraduate & LL.M. programmes is Jan 26, 2018 with the test scheduled in 30 centers across India on Feb 10, 2018 and interviews in Mar 2018.

The five postgraduate programme batches that have graduated have seen excellent campus placement. Close to 90 organisations visit the campus every year. Dedicated campus placement cell facilitates these career opportunities.

ORLANDO : The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to provide sustainment and upgrades for its fleet of 683 Sniper ® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP).

Valued at up to $961 million, the five-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract allows the Air Force to place orders for logistics, spares, software and sensor enhancements, among other activities.

“This contract enables us to respond promptly to the needs of our warfighters, including maintaining Sniper’s availability and reliability rates while advancing capabilities through pod upgrades,” said Nicole Visosky, U.S. Air Force program manager. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Lockheed Martin.”

“Sniper’s availability, reliability and performance are critical to the U.S. Air Force and warfighters worldwide,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/Special Operations Forces Contractor Logistics Support Services at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We are proud to continue partnering with the U.S. Air Force to deliver our most advanced targeting technology and support ongoing operations.”

Sniper ATP detects, identifies, automatically tracks and laser-designates small tactical targets at long ranges. It also supports employment of all laser- and GPS-guided weapons against multiple fixed and moving targets.

Sniper ATP has been chosen by the U.S. Air Force and 25 international customers. It is interoperable across multiple platforms, including multinational F-2, F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1, B-52 and Typhoon aircraft.

Moscow : India and Russia are expected to ink a deal for around US$ 1.1 billion for 48 Mi-17V5 helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) soon.

“Negotiations with the Indian side have been completed, and we hope to sign the contract in 2018, ” Russian Helicopters CEO Andrei Boginsk was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency RIA Novosti December 17. However sources told India Strategic that signatures should be appended on the deal by both the sides in the first quarter of 2018.

The company has already delivered 151 Mi-17 V5 helicopters to India beginning with a deal for 80 machines in 2008, and then another 71 under three follow-on contracts. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) had cleared the purchase of fifth lot of 48 of these military transport helicopters in September 2015.

The Mi-17 variants are now the mainstay of the IAF for heli-transporting troops across the country from the Himalayan Mountains to coastal areas. IAF has also converted the V5 variant for VVIP role now.

IAF had first acquired Mi-4 helicopters from the Soviet Union followed by Mi-8s, the last of which was ceremonially phased out on December 17 at a function in Bangalore.

Russian Helicopters is part of the Rostec State Corporation, an umbrella organisation uniting Russia’s military industrial complex and arms exporter Rosoboronexport (ROE).

Produced by Kazan Helicopter Plant, a unit of Russian Helicopters, the Mi-17 V5 supplied to India ranks among the most advanced helicopters of the Mil Design Bureau’s Mi-8/17 family and is capable of transporting troops and cargo inside the cabin as well as large size cargo like artillery guns on an external sling.

Russia, India’s biggest defence partner, has also sold another helicopter, Kamov Ka-226T to India. Most of these, however, are to be licence-produced by HAL in Bangalore.

All agreements with the Soviet Union and Russia are Government-to-Government (G-2-G).

NEW DELHI: A day after assembly poll results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh which went in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), newly-minted Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Gujarat results raise serious questions on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s credibility.

Gujarat had given a message to the BJP and Modi that the anger within them would not work, Mr. Gandhi said. “ Frankly, Modiji has a credibility problem and he will find it very difficult… Because what he is saying, his forces and his organisation are repeating that.  But the country is not listening to that. This, the Gujarat election has shown. In the coming times, you will see this clearly,” he said.

While talking to reporters, Mr. Gandhi sharply attacked Mr. Modi’s Gujarat model of development, describing it as “good propaganda” and marketing, but “hollow from within”.

Referring to the Gujarat poll result, he described it as “very good’’ for the Congress. His party bagged 77 seats , while the ruling BJP managed to retain power with 99 seats in the 182-member assembly.

During the campaigning in Gujarat, PM Modi did not talk about the problems that were facing the people of the state. “He neither talked about development nor about the problems of farmers and the traders,’’ Mr. Gandhi said.

Though the BJP had put an ambitious target of 150-plus seats for itself in Gujarat elections, its tally stopped at 99, down from 115 which it had won in 2012. The party, riding on the micro-management of its President Amit Shah and popularity of Prime Minister Modi, scored a sixth straight victory.  The tally of Congress in 2012 was 61 and it went up by another 16 seats with Rahul Gandhi’s cowboys Jignesh Mewani, Alpesh Thakur winning their seats and Hardik Patel providing solid support during campaigning.

Though the BJP is all set to form its sixth government in Gujarat, many of its heavyweights and six of its ministers and the Assembly Speaker were humbled by the Congress in the elections.

Top Congress leaders and some party heavyweights also tasted defeat but the party showed up in brighter colours as compared to 2012.  Among the senior Congress leaders defeated were Arjun Modhwadia, Shaktisinh Gohil, Siddharth Patel and Tushar Chaudhary.

Several BJP leaders, MLAs and ministers fell by the wayside. These included Minister of State Shankar Chaudhary who lost to  Congress’s Geniben Thakor. 

Cabinet rank minister and BJP’s Dalit leader Atmaram Parmar was defeated by Congress’s Pravinbhai Maru. His Cabinet colleague  Chimanbhai Saparia was defeated by Chiragbhai Kalariya of the Congress from Jamjodhpur. Minister of  State for backward class welfare Keshaji Chauhan lost by a slender margin of 972 votes from the Deodar constituency.

In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP managed to oust the Congress but faced embarrassment as its chief ministerial aspirant Prem Kumar Dhumal, 73-year-old party veteran and a former chief minister, lost from Sujanpur seat to his immensely popular Congress opponent Rajendra Singh Rana.

BJP President Amit Shah said the parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body, would decide on the new Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister in the absence of Mr. Dhumal. With 44 out of 68 seats in the Himalayan State assembly tucked comfortably under its belt, the BJP may look upon Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda or five-time MLA from Mandi Jai Ram Thakur as strong candidates for the CM’s post in Himachal Pradesh. 

NEW DELHI: The shocking defeat of Himachal Pradesh BJP Chief Ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal in Sujanpur assembly segment has upset the BJP leadership applecart and put the party on the Chief Minister search mode.

Although, the BJP has romped home comfortably in the state but the loss of Mr. Dhumal, 73, to his former protégé and Congress candidate Rajinder Rana, has made the task of the party to find a successor to him a bit difficult.  

The party has been thrown into a tizzy and now has quickly gone into the search mode. Although the party has nominated Narinder Singh Tomar and Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman as party observers to chose a new head of the party legislature group, the race for the top position is restricted to very few names. The front runners include the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, J.P Nadda and former Minister, Jairam Thakur.

Five-time MLA, Jairam Thakur has emerged victorious from the Seraj assembly segment in Mandi district by a huge margin of around 10,000 votes. Not only this, it is for the first time that the BJP has swept the Mandi district winning all the 10 seats. Being a Thakur, which is a dominant caste in the state, Mr. Jairam, who has strong RSS roots, could be a surprise selection. However, Mr. Jairam, who was a Minister in the previous Dhumal government, has not been known to be a strong administrator and his performance as a Minister had left much to be desired.

Similarly, Mr. Nadda, who has risen from the ranks, has been a Minister in the Himachal Pradesh government on two occasions before migrating to Delhi to work with the central leadership. In fact, Mr. Nadda has been one of the rising stars of the party since the nineties and enjoys a good rapport with the local party leaders as well as the state cadres. However, he has been at loggerheads with Mr. Dhumal who would resist his installation in the state. But what could go in favour of Mr. Nadda is his administrative experience in handling the state and central government posts.

In fact, it is understood that former Chief Minister and Kangra strongman Shanta Kumar has thrown his weight behind Mr. Nadda while Mr. Dhumal has kept the cards close to his chest. What has added to the woes of the party and Mr. Dhumal is the lost of the state party president, Satpal Satti and another senior leader, Ravinder Ravi narrowing down the choice to these two leaders. However, it is Prime Minister, Narendra Modi who will take the final call on the issue of leadership in the state and one can expect a surprise from him. But Mr. Dhumal could still have a say in the given situation due to his personal equation with Mr. Modi.

On the other hand, Mr. Nadda is seen close to party national president Amit Shah and is currently working under Mr. Modi giving him access to the two most powerful people in the system. But what complicates the situation for Mr. Nadda or the party is the fact he is not a member of the state assembly and one of party’s 44 MLAs will have to resign to enable him to seek an election.

The party is currently having internal consultations and a number of State leaders including some of the prominent MLAs who have won have been summoned by the party leadership to Delhi. A decision on the new Chief Minister will be taken in a day or two.