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This is about the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrabu Naidu and his counterpart in the state of Telangana K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). Both are Chief Ministers of new born states, a difference of less than 24 hours separates their official identity. Yet their response to the recent `surgical strike’ of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on ‘black money’ makes a fascinating case study.

For the record Mr. Babu was the only Chief Minister to have publicly demanded demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1, 000 notes three weeks before the actual announcement by the Prime Minister. The Andhra Chief Minister held a news conference at the temporary capital of his state-Vijayawada on October 12 to articulate his demand. There was a specific context in which he made the suggestion.

He had linked his demand for immediate abolition of currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations as a pragmatic measure to curb black money. “”Out of the Rs 65,000 crore disclosed across the country, Rs 13,000 crore was declared in Hyderabad and, out of it, Rs 10,000 crore by a single individual. Who is that, we can’t know as per law. Is it possible for a businessman to declare such huge money,”” he had asked.

Noting that politics has become a “”shelter”” for corrupt people and black money earners, he said, “”Some people who are in politics are misusing the people’s mandate. I am writing a letter to the Prime Minister today asking that Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes be abolished and total bank transactions be encouraged.””

One can only surmise that either Mr. Naidu was in the know of a great deal of what is happening in his or the neighbouring state as well as the Centre or he was just speculating. One can only presume a CM of his stature and seniority would not talk loose.

Ten days later after the PM’s announcement, Mr. Babu begun to demonstrate signs of nervousness. Last week he actually deemed it necessary to write for the second time to the Prime Minister as well as the Finance Minister and officials in the Union Finance Ministry on measures needed to make the whole operation smooth and a little less painful!

What went wrong? For academic argument let us say either he assumed his demand for demonetisation would never be fulfilled or he just did not anticipate the consequences of the decision.

How else does one explain his second letter to the Prime Minister seeking Rs. 10,000 Crore rupees of smaller denominations to the state to overcome the problems. The second letter pleaded for Rs. 10 thousand Crore rupees of smaller denominations–Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50 and Rs.100–to the state on the ground that it was required to overcome the problems following demonetisation of currency.

At a formal news conference in Vijayawada last week, the temporary capital of the state, Mr. Naidu urged the Union government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to immediately dispatch new currency notes of smaller denominations worth Rs. 10,000 crore to tide over the crisis precipitated by the demonetisation of old currency notes.

“I spoke to RBI Governor Mr. Urjit Patel requesting him to despatch adequate new currency. The government will also mount pressure on the Centre for release of additional currency to ease the cash crunch,” he told the media.

He suggested to the Centre to provide 80 per cent subsidy on E-Pass machines to the businessmen and said his Government will be happy if the Centre is ready to agree for 100 per cent subsidy.

Mr. Naidu wanted the centre to exempt charges to the people who will make on-line transactions. Mr Naidu said the common people, farmers, daily wage earners and old people are facing immense inconveniences due to non-availability of cash in the banks and ATMs in the state.

Why should it surprise anyone if a Chief Minister chooses to point out the adverse impact of the demonetisation move? It should not in the normal course. But case of Mr. Babu is different. He was one who had made the suggestion in the first place.

It leaves one with two scenarios to contemplate particularly given the backdrop against which Mr. Babu had originally articulated his demand. His demand came after he dropped a bombshell that out of the Rs 13,000 crore of black money declared in Hyderabad under a recent scheme, Rs 10,000 crore belonged to a single individual, in apparent hints towards his political rivals. Yes, Rs. 10,000 crore by one individual!

“”In my vast political life and experience, this is the first time I’m seeing a crisis remaining unresolved for such a long period,”” the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said during a teleconference with Reserve Bank and state government officials and district collectors.

“”It’s painful to see that the problem caused by demonetisation is continuing even after 12 days.”” Mr. Naidu appeared to be handing a lesson in crisis management to the Centre as he recounted how fast his administration had stemmed the chaos from a cyclone and a stampede-scarred mass festival in the past two years.

The chief minister said he was “”becoming impatient””. Modi had asked people to be patient for 50 days. Mr. Naidu had been advocating a ban on 500 and 1,000-rupee notes since 2013, and was one of the few politicians outside the BJP to welcome the demonetisation announcement of November 8.

Indeed, a few days before the announcement, he had written to Modi urging such a move to stifle corruption and vote-buying. The letter has prompted a couple of Naidu’s ministers to claim the chief minister had inspired Modi’s decision. “”I compliment the PM,”” Naidu had himself said after the demonetisation drive was launched, while at the same time questioning the plan to introduce 2,000-rupee notes and seeking a debate on it.

In a show of support for Modi’s decision, Naidu’s government had opened a helpdesk at Vijayawada and a toll-free line to help people deposit their old notes at banks and post offices. The endowment department, which oversees the running of many temples, offered the coins and smaller currency from the hundis to the banks. In certain districts such as West Godavari, the administration initiated a system of tokens substituting for notes in the purchase of vegetables at government-administered farmer markets.

Mr. Naidu cited how he had dealt with crises. “”We overcame the catastrophe caused by the cyclone in eight days,”” he said, referring to Cyclone Hudhud, which had pounded Visakhapatnam in October 2014. He had camped in the port city for about a week, operating out of a bus and winning praise from residents for restoring normality in a short time.

“”We held the Godavari pushkaram (a festival in July last year) for 14 days without further hiccup after the trouble faced on the first day (a stampede that killed about 30 people). But the demonetisation trouble remains unresolved after 12 days,”” he said. “”Bankers should take this as an opportunity to prove their capabilities. We should move forward to tackle the situation with cooperation, coordination and efficient action.”” He warned that notices would be served on banks that failed to cooperate.

Mr. Naidu asked the banks to set up call centres to keep customers abreast of the latest position on cash. He asked the bigger banks with currency chests to share the money with rural branches. He said that more point-of-sale machines would be added to the already operating 25,208 e-pass machines at ration shops. He asked state officials to make all the transactions cashless.

The chief minister also directed that 60 lakh students be trained in mobile banking and online transactions so they could spread the knowledge among family and friends. In contrast the response of his counterpart in Telangana K. Chandrasekhar Rao was entirely different. 

His state was badly hit on account of withdrawal of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes,Telangana CM KCR rushed to New Delhi for an interactive session with Mr. Modi on urgent steps needed to be taken to ease the sufferings of people as well as the state governments on account of the crisis triggered by the ban on Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes!

According to his office last week Mr. Rao had telephoned the Prime Minister to apprise the Prime Minister of the serious situation faced by the ordinary folk in his state on account of the currency ban. In the course of the conversation the PM not only asked him to visit New Delhi but also requested to come with a blue print on what can be done to ease the situation.

So on Saturday Mr. Rao had a meeting with Mr. Rao with a demanding moratorium for states on payment of interest on loans due to centre. He also appealed to the PM to direct the concerned enforcing agencies and officials to ensure that money kept by women for `emergencies’ is not treated as a crime. In addition he wanted the centre to direct that private hospitals also accept old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes

There are no views that Telangana state is in dire straits following the recent decision of the Narendra Modi government to ban Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes. The state has been hit severely due to the demonetisation move. On Friday hours before the Chief Minister’s was to depart for New Delhi, the state officials had maintained that though bank deposits swelled to Rs.30,000 crore of which only 10 per cent is in circulation. 

The sharp decline in revenue from liquor is evident from 50 per cent drop in sales in the retail outlets. VAT revenue declined steeply in the last 10 days. As against collection of about Rs.2,400 crore a month, so far only about Rs.200 crore was realised in more than two weeks.

The irony of it all is that of the Rs. 63000+ plus that got converted into white thanks to the recent tax amnesty scheme of the Modi Government, Telangana alone accounted for Rs. 13000 crore of the disclosure. Of this one individual is supposed to have benefited to the extent of Rs. 10000 crore. 

In the course of his meeting with Mr. Modi the Telangana Chief Minister made a plea that the old currency kept by women and housewives, as home contingency fund, should not be considered illegal. He also wanted the PM to direct that all private hospitals should accept old currency notes till normalcy returns.

It seems the Telangana State has been hit very hard by the decision of the Modi government. He is perhaps the first Chief Minister in the country who actually deemed it necessary to dial up Mr. Modi to give his frank assessment of the ground situation.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday had quoted Mr. Rao as saying that while he welcomed demonetisation `if it helped clean up the country’s economy’, the Centre should take into account the loss incurred by State governments and decreased flow of revenue to them.

Telangana wants the Centre to defer payments by States on the loans borrowed by them as it they are hard pressed for payments due to various organizations as well as advances and salaries to the state government employees. Official statement of the Telangana CM had quoted Mr. Rao as saying that all those having more than Rs 2.5 lakh as income or savings should not be treated as black money holders. “Instead, it should be referred as unaccounted money. These small and medium traders, businessmen and others in the unorganised sector should be given certain exemptions. They should be given one more chance to disclose their income and deposit the money in banks, thereby granting them one-time amnesty.”

It said that the Chief Minister has reviewed at length the impact of demonetisation on the State’s revenue. “It was informed that transport and registration departments bore the brunt while excise, sales and commercial taxes also had a setback. While welcoming demonetisation, Mr. Rao said any reform was a continuous process and aimed at achieving excellence. It would be nothing but success when thinkers and intellectuals collaborated for a purpose. However, any decision of the Centre to curb and prevent black money should not cause misery and suffering to lakhs of small traders, common public and those in the unorganised sector. Efforts should be put in place to safeguard the interests of these sections. People should be made partners and stakeholders in development.

Meanwhile Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that an all-party delegation from the state will meet Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi, over the prevailing corporate bank crisis.

The Kerala Assembly, which held a special session to discuss the turbulent situation in the state’s co-operative sector in the wake of Centre’s demonetisation scheme, passed a resolution stating that union government should withdraw the restrictions on cooperative banks. The resolution states that like commercial banks, co-operative banks should also be given permission to conduct transactions. Chief Minister Vijayan assured said that people who have deposited their money in co-operative banks need not get worried, guaranteeing that not even a single penny will be lost.

Vijayan has made his stand on demonetisation quite clear, as on several occasions he has voiced out against the Centre saying that the radical scheme has “”inconvenienced”” people across the country as no “”adequate”” backup arrangements were made. Asserting that people were suffering across the nation because of lack of planning by the government, the Chief Minister has emphasised that his government is not against curbing black money but was against the steps which cause hardship to common people.

Last week, Vijayan and his cabinet colleague Finance Minister Thomas Issac called on Mr Jaitley in New Delhi and conveyed to him the difficult situation on account of spiking of high value currencies. Mr. Vijayan’s delegation would appraise the Prime Minister, the Union Finance Minister and all others concerned during their visit to N. Delhi would discuss among other issues on cooperative sector crisis that has gripped the state

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while calling for unity among the major players in the cooperative sector, said the Centre should remove the ceiling on cash withdrawals by cooperative banks, exchange demonetised notes and give operational freedom to treasuries to handle cash transactions. He said Kerala had always stood united, irrespective of political affiliations, whenever the Centre had adopted policies intended to weaken the cooperative sector.

No other financial establishment could compete with cooperative bodies in the credit sector, he said. The cooperative movement had emerged as the most revolutionary development after the land reforms. “The RBI’s stand will adversely impact rural areas. Unfortunately, the RBI is not prepared to recognise the social commitment of the cooperative movement. It does not recognise the presence of the cooperatives in providing varied services such as interest-free loans, housing loans, running medical stores, consumer fair price shops.” He said the State could not accept the stand that cooperatives should withdraw from social objectives. “The main dispute is connected to the Vaidyanathan Commission report which the State had rejected totally,” he said.

The second major issue related to income tax under which cooperatives are now deducting TDS on deposits above Rs.25 lakh. But the decision to keep the cooperative banks out of financial transactions after demonetisation was intended to strangle the sector. Scheduled commercial banks can never be a substitute for cooperative banks in the rural credit sector.

BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan and general secretary K. Surendran walked out of the meeting stating that the party could not support a move that was intended to help holders of black money! Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was not possible to accept the BJP’s stand on this issue.

About the author: The author is a practicing hack, a cynic to core.”

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Exim Bank has flagged off a consignment of materials and components of Jaipur Foot to the National Disability Institute – Kabul (NDI), for 1000 amputees of Afghanistan. Exim Bank is supporting Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the parent body of Jaipur Foot – the most widely used artificial foot / limb in the world – for setting up a permanent Jaipur Foot Centre at the NDI in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Exim Bank has provided a grant support of US$ 100,000 for the Jaipur Foot Project which includes support towards materials and components for fitting of 1000 artificial limbs in a year. In addition, a sum of US$ 25,000 has also been provided for training three NDI technicians in Jaipur for a period of three to four months. The Project is an insignia of the Bank’s endeavour to be more closely associated with the multi-layered development process of partner countries like Afghanistan by supporting social dimensions like health and education, while concomitantly serving its mandate of promoting India’s trade and investment, a statement issued by the Exim bank said here.

The project formally commenced with the inception of the training program for the NDI technicians, and flagging of the consignment of materials and components for the Jaipur Foot Centre to NDI in Kabul. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. D. R. Mehta, Founder and Chief Patron, BMVSS noted that although the organization has held camps in Afghanistan in the past, this initiative would provide an enduring impact on the differently abled citizens of Afghanistan. Mr. Mehta also noted that the role of Exim Bank has been pivotal in achieving the desired objectives as finance emerged as a major impediment in setting up of a permanent centre, given the financial constraints of the Government of Afghanistan.

Mr. Yaduvendra Mathur, Chairman and Managing Director, Exim Bank noted that these efforts of BMVSS and Exim Bank are aligned with the Indian policy of nurturing development partners for mutual growth. Mr. Mathur also highlighted the unstinted support received from the Ministry of External Affairs, and specifically the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan in facilitating this project.

Exim Bank has played a pivotal role in enhancing bilateral trade and investment relations with Afghanistan by promoting and financing Indian companies in execution of projects. These projects facilitate and support infrastructure development in host countries, thereby contributing to their economic progress. In Afghanistan, the Bank has supported various project export contracts valued at nearly Rs. 900 crore. Supporting organisations like BMVSS that have a global footprint, for socially oriented activities, has provided a new dimension to Exim Bank’s participation in the development of India’s overseas partners, the statement said.”

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With  Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar questioning the nuclear deterrence doctrine being followed by India, there appears to be a pressing need to match the fast changing geo-political environment. He argues this aspect of “”no first use”” takes away the element of unpredictability about the country’s military strategy. The minister has been criticised for his views even though it is his personal opinion, the discriminating believe including some former chiefs of the armed forces that the no first use option is best left unsaid and kept in limbo. 

This assumes importance as the New Delhi’s reliability and trust when it comes to the nuclear deterrence is not in doubt unlike its immediate neighbour Pakistan. Then, China being a power and an all weather friend of Islamabad posing a threat to India on two fronts cannot be wished away. Beijing is already flexing its muscle and making its presence felt not only in South Asia but the South China Sea and other parts of the globe undeterred by the United States, the lone super power. 

While releasing a book — The New Arthashastra : A Security Strategy for India — earlier this month on November 10, Parrikar in his own inimitable way made a telling point that ultimately the “”written defence strategy does not mean you have to follow it. If a written doctrine exists you are giving away your strength. Why should India bind itself to no first use (NFU). We are a responsible nuclear power and will not use nuclear weapons irresponsibly””. 

The Raksha Mantri did not want to be tied down to NFU. More than starting a fresh debate on this subject, the opinion coming to the fore is that the NFU doctrine needs to be reviewed and changed. “”There must be an element of unpredictability in the policy. Only then it carries weight,”” the minister emphasised. 

There is an element of unease in this regard because BJP stalwart and the Lotus party’s first Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made a statement in Parliament in May 1988 that “”“India is now a nuclear weapons state…. We do not intend to use these weapons for aggression or for mounting threats against any country; these are weapons of self-defence, to ensure that India is not subjected to nuclear threats or coercion.” 

The 2014 BJP election manifesto drew pointed attention to “”revise and update India’s nuclear doctrine””. The NFU was the point of contention in the manifesto which has been brought to the fore by Parrikar. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the NFU clause is expected to be deleted.  

The former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash, who was also Chairman, Chiefs of Staff, found it refreshing that politicians are finally willing to talk openly about national security and nuclear deterrent. This was not the case in the previous Congress led UPA regime when two of its Defence ministers assiduously steered clear of this issue. 

In a newspaper article, he opined that the government must appoint a CDS without further delay. It may be recalled that a draft nuclear doctrine was prepared by the National Security Advisory Board chaired by the late K Subrahmanyam and submitted to the government on August 17, 1999. After a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, on January 4, 2003, the Vajpayee government spelt out India’s nuclear doctrine and the operationalisation of its nuclear deterrent. 

The salient features include building and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent; follow no first use posture; and will use nuclear weapons only in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere. It was also affirmed that nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage; retaliatory attacks will be authorized only by the civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority; nuclear weapons will not be used against non-nuclear weapon states; and India will retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons in the event of a major attack against it with biological or chemical weapons. 

Defence experts and analysts emphasise that security issues and nuclear deterrence requires to be reviewed periodically as changes are required to effectively counter the changing ground realities. The ever changing strategic realities including new alignments being thrown up coupled with the fresh challenges and security concerns needs to be factored in the nuclear doctrine. This assumes significance because the factors prevalent when the doctrine was framed 13-years back have become irrlevant. India needs to be prepared for the worst case security scenario.

Under the prevailing circumstances Parrikar’s desire of injecting an element of unpredictability will keep India’s foes guessing about its strategy in case it is pushed to a corner. It is widely believed Raksha Mantri’s argument cannot be dismissed out of hand as the 13-year old nuclear doctrine needs to be upgraded at regular intervals.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)”

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CJI to have an interactive consultative session soon with all High Court Chief Justices on All-India Judicial Services

The Chief Justice TS Thakur is soon to have a consultative interactive session with Chief Justices of High Courts on the pros and cons of the proposal for an All-India Judicial Services (AIJS) Examination.

The initiative is significant as there are differences at various levels on the contentious proposal. To begin with several states are not on board as the mandated lingo at the level of district court is the state local language.

The proposal has been in the pipeline since November 2012, when the than Cabinet Secretary led Committee of Secretaries in the UPA Government led by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had given approval for creation of the AIJS.

Till date, 15 States and 18 High Courts (of 24) have responded to the proposal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a vocal supporter of an all India judicial service. 

On October 31 at the 50th year celebration of Delhi High Court held last month, in the presence of the Chief Justice of Supreme Court T S Thakur, the Prime Minister backed the idea.

At present, judges for lower courts are mostly selected by HCs or the State Public Service Commission of respective states.  Taking into account the enormous pendency of about three crore in district courts across India and the fact that the district courts are running short of 5,111 judicial officers, a step in the right direction will pave way for speedy justice.

The CJI on his pat calling for lessening the burden on the judiciary, he said the government is the “biggest litigant”. “The judiciary spends its maximum time on us. Us does not mean Modi, but the government,” he said.

On a lighter note, Mr. Modi had said, “I never had the privilege to be in a court but I’m told the atmosphere there is serious. Its influence is seen here too. It’s the golden jubilee, smile a bit… I understand the seriousness on the dais so that no wrong perception is created. But here (among audience), I don’t think there is any problem”.

A note prepared by the Law Ministry on the proposed interactive session between the CJI and the Chief Justices in High Courts reads, “The matter has been discussed at the highest level in the government and the judiciary. It has been decided that the Honourable Chief Justice of India would convene a meeting of the Chief Justices of the HCs to arrive at a consensus on formation of All-India Judicial Services Examination.””

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It is an unending tale of safety and security of the people being thrown out of the window. At least on the gigantic Indian Railways which is the backbone of the country’s transportation system logging a mind boggling seven billion passenger trips annually.

The tragedy of it all is that at least 25,000 people are killed in railway accidents every year. These statistics are extremely scary to say the least. The question is do we as Indians really value and care about human life? It is even worse with the governments of the day both at the Centre and in the states. They summarily dole out Rs 2-3 lakhs compensation to the families of the dead and Rs 25,000 to RS 75,000 to the seriously injured. There ends the State’s intervention and life for the bereaved is supposed to return to normality.

“”If our lives mattered, the politicians might not be so callous in their approach,”” regretted a senior citizen who had retired as Railway Board member. And what is worse superannuated Railway Board officials concede that these aged bogies should not have been used to carry passengers posing an inherent threat to safety. In a majority of instances accidents occur due to the sheer negligence of the crumbling railway infrastructure requiring immediate upgradation. The faster and prestigious trains like the Rajdhanis and the Shatabdis use the safer LHB coaches manufactured in Kapurthala in Punjab and Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh. 

For the teeming lower middle class and the poor travelling from one place to another is a necessity rather than any pleasure, the old coaches manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur in Tamil Nadu are being used rather than phasing them out. Considering the acute shortage of the safe LHB coaches the unsafe passenger bogies continue to be used.

The implication of this “”chalta hai”” attitude is that the authorities are laying themselves bare to accidents. Why should’nt all those responsible for pursuing such a policy be charged with pre-meditated murder? The Indore-Patna express train accident is the biggest accident on the railways since 2010. How many more such heart rending and painful accidents will the nation have to endure before matters are put on an even keel.

Is it going to serve any purpose in baying for union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s head by holding him responsible for this tragedy. A purposeful person and a doer he had underlined in his maiden speech while presenting the Railway Budget earlier this year that he is according the highest priority to safety as well as improving other aspects encompassing hygiene and sanitation on the IRs.

In the prevailing circumstances when the railways needs to get its act together, should introduction of bullet trains be accorded priority when the  Railways safety record is taking a severe beating. Millions of people travelling by trains daily need to be assured of their safety. All the elements of safety — integrity of the tracks, signalling, engines and coaches need to be checked rigorously. Invariably investigations even by independent bodies have found human error account for 70 per cent of serious rail accidents. This underlines the need for rigorous training and strict operational discipline. 

In the present instance it needs to be determined if there were flaws like fracture of the track, whether the driver exceeded the specified speed limit as well as the flaws in the coach design leading to 146 fatalities and nearly twice that number were injured. 

Various specialist committees have made recommendations about safety as well as restructuring the system along with undertaking major reforms encompassing the creation of a statutory safety authority, quick fire replacement of old coaches with the modern LHB design and revamped management which remains focussed on key train operations. In keeping with Prabhu’s promise all the zonal railways are to be equipped with ultrasound flaw detection machines by March next year to test the quality of the tracks. Then, after an accident medical facilities are usually highly inadequate which in turn determines a victim’s chance of survival. A significant number of accidents happen in rural areas where hospital facilities are lacking.

The Railways ministry should ensure that red tape should not come in the way of the victims getting the best aid and treatment. It is important that the rescue teams are well trained and equipped for the task. Already there have been three major derailments this year, two in UP and one in Madhya Pradesh. With less that 40 days to go before ushering in the new year, the country has already suffered 80 major railway accidents as against 69 last year in 2015.

Over half of them have been due to derailments which is a pointer to tracks not being well looked after or the coaches being old. In this particular instance the driver of the Indore-Patna express had complained about something being wrong with one of the bogies. He was advised to stop at Kanpur, a zonal centre, to get the problem fixed, according to reports. Alas that was not to be.

What is regrettable is the step motherly treatment being meted out to trains serving the country’s hinterland. A retired Railway Board official has called for laying newew tracks all over the country. A mind boggling task in itself.

Making matters worse is that the Railways are in deep trouble financially. TMC’s former Railways minister Dinesh Trivedi says in a newspaper article the railways is on the verge of bankruptcy and likely to report a net loss of Rs 25,000 crores. Under the circumstances it might have to borrow money to pay the salaries.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)”

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Harold Wilson (1916-95) served twice as Labour Prime Minister during one of the greatest periods of social and industrial change in the 20th century. His party won the following year’s General Election with a slim majority of just four seats and Wilson became Prime Minister for the first time. In the lead up to the election he is supposed to have coined the famous phrase, ‘A week is a long time in politics.’

Here we are talking about what should be an unforgettable incident/episode that marked the life of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009 to May 18, 2014). But life is an overtime job! We have no time to think what happened last year.

All the reason to remind ourselves of the past once in a while! This is about the infamous pepper attack on February 13, at 12 pm in the Lok Sabha, when the then Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde sought to introduce the AP Reorganisation Bill, involving the than MP from the combined state of Andhra Pradesh L. Rajagopal.

Well it is over 2 years, nine months and a few days more. It is difficult to believe but the simple truth till date no authority has managed to pin down the former Member of Parliament on any count.

A gritty former fraternity colleague turned Supreme Court lawyer Vijayawada Sravaran Kumar K has been relentlessly pursuing the matter at various levels through the Right to Information (RTI) representations to the Lok Sabha Secretariat as well as Delhi Police. His efforts so far have not yielded any results and yet he is no mood to give up.

On November 16 the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a reply to his representation made on October 10, 2016 gave a flat reply. It reads, “It is stated that due to dissolution of 15th Lok Sabha on 18 May 2014, all matters pending before the Committees/House lapse. Consequently, this matter referred to the Committee of Privileges also stands lapsed and no recommendations in the matter were given by the Committee’’.

In the words of Mr. Kumar, “I am going to file an appeal on the latest reply I have received from the Lok Sabha Secretariat’’.

A reply by Lok Sabha secretariat to a RTI query reveals that the matter which was pending before the committee of privileges lapsed with the dissolution of Lok Sabha on May 18, 2014.

“On 14 February, 2014, Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha under the powers conferred under Rule 227 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha had referred the matter relating to ‘contempt of the House committed by L. Rajagopal, MP for spraying pepper and also by some other members for indulging in unruly acts/behaviour on 13 February, 2014 in the House’ to the committee of privileges for examination, investigation and report,” said the Lok Sabha secretariat in reply to a RTI query.

The Lok Sabha was dissolved just three months after the pepper spray incident was referred to the committee of privileges. Mr. Satyanarayana had sought to know if an inquiry was ordered into the pepper episode and if any action was taken.

Mr. Rajagopal, who was representing Vijayawada, sent shock waves across with his action by spraying pepper when the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was to come up before the Lok Sabha. Mr. Rajagopal, who was suspended by the Congress earlier that month for defying the party leadership, brought a canister from which he sprayed pepper. Some MPs and journalists were affected.

The next day Speaker Meira Kumar had suspended 17 MPs from Andhra Pradesh including Rajagopal from the house for a week for their unruly behaviour.

All political parties had demanded action against Mr. Rajagopal and the Congress-led UPA Government had said it would not oppose whatever decision the Speaker takes in this regard. Meira Kumar had termed the incident as a ‘blot on democracy and referred it to the committee of privileges, which has got punitive powers.

Rajagopal, who was opposed to division of Andhra Pradesh, had defended his action saying he sprayed pepper in self-defence. Post-script to the February 14, 2014 incident in the Lok Sabha at the stroke of 12 p.mgives reason to feel relieved. It came to light later that contrary to the common belief, L. Rajagopal’s spray can did not contain either pepper or chilli powder.

What he used in the Lok Sabha in an act that left fellow MPs in tears and the entire House red-faced is a chemical substance banned in war. The chemical is called capsaicin, derived from the fruits of plants like capsicum or chilli. What goes into the can, as sold in India, is capsaicin converted into a resin, mixed with an emulsifier and water, and then pressurised.

After the Delhi gang-rape, the sales of the spray spiked in India, a can contains 50-100 ml. Its use is banned in war by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits riot-control agents. When sprayed on a person’s face, capsaicin immediately causes his/her eyes to close, obstructs breathing, causes a runny nose and coughing. As capsaicin is not soluble, washing the eyes after an attack does not help. Time is the main healer, typically one or two hours, depending on the person’s health.

According to the European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment report, published in 1998, temporary blindness is also possible for 15-30 minutes and upper-body spasms, for three to 15 minutes.

Though banned in many countries, pepper spray is legal in India and does not require any licence or documentation to buy. However, manufacturers require a government licence. A canister costs between Rs.150 and Rs. 1,000.

About the author: The author is a practicing hack, a cynic to core.”

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Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh says there is a need to narrow down the gap between political leadership and the steel frame of India to improve on governance in the country.

Mr. Singh claimed there was a major difference in what the political leadership dreamed of and what the bureaucracy finally delivered to the people seeking better symphony between the two. “Governance should rest with the political leadership while administrative part should rest with the bureaucracy,” Singh said  in New Delhi  on Saturday during gfiles Governance Awards 2016 function. He also advocated the idea of encouraging more social science and arts stream graduates to take the Civil Services examination. In his opinion, doctors and engineers ought to excel in their respective fields rather than opting for civil service. 

Mr. Singh along with Ram Bilas Sharma, Haryana’s Education & Tourism Minister – honoured eminent scientist Dr. R A Mashelkar and ten other civil servants with gfiles Governance Awards 2016 for the exemplary work they have put in their respective domains.

Dr. Mashelkar, a chemical engineer and a former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), a group of 38 publicly funded industrial research and development institutions in the country, was conferred Lifetime Achievement Award while the others bagged Exceptional Contribution Awards and Excellent Contribution Awards in the glittering function attended by leaders from across the political spectrum, central and state civil servants, judges and editors.

The awardees were finalised by a high-powered four-member jury comprising former Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar, former Chief Secretary of Haryana Vishnu Bhagwan, former Power Secretary Anil Razdan and former Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Home Ministry M.B. Kaushal.

Dr. Mashelkar was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award for his magnanimous contributions in innovations, science and technology.

O P Singh, IPS (Director General, Central Industrial Security Force), was given Exceptional Contribution Award for successfully leading the disaster relief operations during the unprecedented floods in Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal and Chennai, and revamping security apparatus of major airports in the country.

Saurabh Kumar, IRS (Managing Director, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Ministry of Power), was presented Exceptional Contribution Award for unparalleled achievements in the energy efficiency sector.

Sanjay Kumar, IFS (Deputy Inspector General, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), was honoured with the Exceptional Contribution award for outstanding contribution towards environment protection, wildlife conservation and sustainable livelihood.

K Balamurugan, IFS (Regional Passport Officer, Chennai), got the Exceptional Contribution Award for his outstanding contribution to public service.  

Awards for excellent contribution were given to following bureaucrats:-

Sutirtha Bhattacharya, IAS (CMD, Coal India Limited (CIL), for his outstanding contributions towards the growth of energy sector.

R S Julania, IAS of 1985 batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre, (Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Madhya Pradesh), for his unmatched contribution in the field of irrigation in Madhya Pradesh.

N Prasanth, IAS (District Collector & District Magistrate, Kozhikode, Kerala), for launching Operation Sulaimani to ensure that nobody in the city on the Malabar Coast goes to bed hungry.

Amit Lodha, a Bihar cadre IPS (presently Deputy Inspector General, BSF, Jaisalmer), for successfully initiating a police-public partnership for better policing in Nalanda district during his tenure as SP there.

Mandeep Singh Randhawa, IPS (Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central District, Delhi Police),  for harnessing technology to connect with the public in his area.  

Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer Vikas Arya, who is presently Director, Ministry of Family Welfare, received Excellent Contribution Award for his herculean efforts to preserve railway heritage and restoring steam locomotives.”

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25573573″” alt=””25573573″” />The Gurkhas of Nepal have always been held in awe for their bravery. It is the dream of virtually every young person of this martial race to join the British Army. Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu’s ambition was no different egged on as he was by his father and grandfather. For the first time in its two-hundred-year history, a soldier of the Brigade of Gurkhas has been given permission to tell his story. Written in a simple, straightforward manner, Kailash, named after the holy mountain in Tibet recalls his childhood in the remote village of Khebang. 

When he was just a few days old his maternal grandfather measured baby Kailash with his hand and said he was going to be tall and strong as a mountain. His last name Limbu is his caste. The other castes and tribes include Chetris, Gurungs, Mahars, Rais, Sunwars and Thakurs plus a few other smaller groups. Broadly they are divided into highlanders and lowlanders. The Limbus are highlanders and it is from the hill dwelling castes that the Gurkhas have been recruited. 
It is an absorbing story of an ordinary hill boy serving in the British Army. He is quick to point out that he has won no major gallantry awards nor is he one of those heroes who fought with Kukri in hand, after all their ammunition had run out. He has never been the last man standing given the legion of awards won by the Gurkhas for their acts of valour against tremendous odds. He feels privileged for having been chosen as the first serving Gurkha soldier to write his memoirs.  He was lucky to serve with the allied forces during the recent war in Afghanistan and  survived as many did not. He vividly recalls action about which not much has been written about — the siege of Now Zad in Helmand province.

He has given a first had account of what it is like being a soldier in the situation that confronted them. He was told to prepare for a 48-hour operation. In the end he and his men were under siege for 31 days, one of the longest in the whole Afghan campaign. During that period they killed an estimated 100 Taliban fighters.
Kailash recalls what they went through was something like an old fashioned siege that brought the British Army and the Nepal’s Gurkhas face to face for the first time. On their part, the Gurkhas drove off the British and their attempted invasion of Nepal failed. The story has it that a small band of Gurkhas captured a British officer who had been deserted by the  Indian soldiers he was leading. But their commander Lieutenant Frederick Young stood his ground.

When the Gurkhas took him prisoner, they were astonished with the reply he gave when they asked him why he had not fled: “”I did not come this far just to run away.”” The Gurkhas said in return “”we could serve under an officer like you!”” And that according to legend is how the Gurkhas and British came together. 
It was real baptism by fire for Limbu in Afghanistan when they were already under attack. “”I saw something that really frightened me. In a split second I registered a smoke trail and a loud pshhhhhhhhhhh as it approached. What was it? It was death hurtling towards me at a hundred and twenty metres per second.”” It was an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). That was indeed close when he flung himself back and watched the fireball flash over the top of the sangar or small fortified positions. 
The Limbus originally came to Nepal from Tibet. Besides the Eastern part of Nepal, Limbus are also in Sikkim and the Darjeeling area of West Bengal as well as Bhutan. Collectively this is known as Limbuwan and there are three quarters of a million. The Limbus are quite a large group but not as numerous as the Gurungs. The special Khukri to which everyone used to pray on special occasions, was only taken down from the wall once a year for the purpose of sacrificing an animal, usually a goat. “”Once the blade was drawn, we believed it could not be returned to its scabbard until it has tasted blood. The practice of worshipping the Khukri among the Limbus is very strong. It is considered very unlucky if the person doing the sacrifice cannot do so with a single stroke. 
Kailash had a happy childhood and lived the typical life of a hill boy. It was little different from his ancestors for hundreds of years. “”When we face hardship, we do not face it just as one person, but as a member of a group — a section, a platoon, a company, a battalion and finally a whole brigade. You are never alone. To be a Gurkha is to be a member of one very big family of which your section is the closest part.”” 

Finally the time came for Kailash’s Platoon to be airlifted by helicopter to battle station Now Zad. He had to be sure that his bhais (brothers) and gurujis (mentors) were fully focused and not thinking about the possibility of going back in a box. On the helicopter were a great bunch, a great team. The younger ones would need some looking after, but, as one officer once said the Gurkha “”is a pack animal. We work together, fight together as a team. Everyone helps everyone else; that’s how we operate. No Gurkha is ever without his khukri.”” 
He provides a peep into the horrors of modern warfare and relives the stark bravery required to stave off the Taliban. Most importantly he brings to the fore what it means to be a Gurkha. He describes the rigorous three stage selection process.
He was elated having been selected for the British Army. There was a final parade when their gurujis announced which unit they would join. “”I desperately wanted to be an infantryman even as there were Gurkha Engineers, Signallers and Logistics people too. I did not want any of these things and prayed they would make me an ordinary rifleman.”” At last the announcement came: ‘21170101, Rifleman Kailash Limbu, Second Battalion.’ He felt relieved he had made it.

Kailash and his Gurkha colleagues scrupulously followed the brief handed down to them to install confidence in the people of Now Zad even though the Taliban tried every trick to eliminate them. The Gurkhas stuck to their task manly and Kailash’s Officer Commanding informed him that he had been mentioned in despatches. What pleased him was that he received a letter warmly congratulating him signed by the Colonel in Chief of the regiment Prince Charles himself. Looking back, a humble Kailash recalls “”there are moments when I am amazed we survived — let alone that we took no sigfinicant losses. He particularly remembers the sahibs, the gurujis and the bhais who fought the Taliban insurgency alongside. Each of them was a hero and a warrior in the true Gurkha tradition.””

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
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A new survey has shown cruel, barren and unsanitary conditions in which animals in local dairies in India are often kept.  

The survey commissioned by world Animal Protection says almost half of those surveyed were unaware that millions of dairy animals are being kept in illegal, unregulated local dairies in their cities and suburbs – in cruel, barren and unsanitary conditions, often deprived of their basic needs, such as access to clean water and food and being tethered their whole lives.

With almost 300 million dairy cows and buffalo, India is by far the largest dairy producer in the world. People care strongly about the welfare of animals, with 90% of respondents stating they want to see better lives for dairy animals that provide milk for them and their families, it says.

The survey also reveals almost 90% of people surveyed strongly agree dairies should be closed if they do not consider the welfare needs of dairy animals; almost 87% think the government should intervene and bring in better welfare standards and practices to protect dairy animals; nearly 90% are more likely to buy products from a company that sources from dairies adopting better animal welfare practices and 3 out of 4 who regularly buy dairy brands would be willing to pay 5-10% more for products that come from dairies offering better animal welfare.

The survey was conducted in the month of October 2016. 3000 people were interviewed across six cities in India viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. 

India is home to the world’s largest dairy herd, with numbers continuing to grow. An ever increasing demand for milk, is pushing productivity, with dairy cattle being forced to produce milk in unnatural and highly stressful situations. Up to 50 million dairy animals are suffering every day in unacceptable conditions on dairy farms; with millions kept in illegal local dairies located in our cities and suburbs (known as urban and peri-urban dairies), the survey says.

These animals are living in in overcrowded, barren conditions, causing them immense suffering and stress. They suffer malnutrition, have inadequate sheltering and don’t have access to proper breeding and healthcare facilities.

Without intervention, millions more dairy animals will be kept cramped indoors, spending their whole lives tied up, unable to interact as herd animals and denied their basic freedoms. Dairy animals, like all animals have a right to live a life where they can express natural behaviour and be free from pain, stress, suffering, hunger and thirst.

The survey is part of World Animal Protection’s campaign to improve the lives of dairy cows and buffaloes used for milk production in dairies across India. We are working with corporates, milk cooperatives, retailers and industry associations to create better lives for dairy cattle; and are moving the government to improve welfare of dairy animals.

According to Gajendra Sharma, Country Director of World Animal Protection, India: It is unacceptable that animals are living in appalling conditions, not meeting their basic needs. These results show that people wasn’t better welfare for our dairy cattle, and it matters to them where their milk comes from.

“”Illegal local dairies that disregard the welfare needs of animals need to end. These dairies keep animals in conditions most people find unacceptable and also cause environmental and health concerns in our cities. We have made great progress since 2014 with the introduction of the first National Dairy Code of Practice for the Management of dairy Animals in India which offers guidance on humane and sustainable practices in our dairies. We now need to see this code implemented and enforced without delay,’’ he added.

According to Major General (Dr) R.M.Kharb, Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India, the Board strongly supports adoption of better welfare practices for dairy animals in India by implementing the guidelines of National Code of Practices for Management of Dairy Animals which will help dairy animals live happier, healthier and more productive lives. The Board has in 2015 issued an advisory to all State Governments to implement these guidelines, he added.

World Animal Protection is calling the Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India to end the suffering of dairy animals, by phasing out local dairies and implementing welfare standards that protect all dairy animals across India, the survey said.”

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In a robust analysis of internationalism, Shyam Saran, Chairman Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and former Foreign Secretary of India on Monday said that the world needs to ‘nurture a political discourse which refrains from rejecting or disparaging nationalism and patriotism, even while upholding internationalism’.

He was delivering the 7th YB Chavan lecture on ‘Decline of Internationalism’ at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). 

Insisting that India with its ‘accommodative and self-confident culture’ has the attributes of what the new order requires, Mr. Saran said that ‘India could, if it is so resolves, lead the way in shaping a new world order, which is aligned with the challenges we confront as humanity’.

Reflecting on the current global scenario, he pointed out that countries can no longer cocoon themselves and survive, nor can pursuit of perceived domestic interests prevail over external engagement. He said that external engagement may well be indispensable to achieving domestic ends, since the salience of issues cutting across national and regional borders and with an intrinsically global dimension has increased phenomenally. 

“”The yearning for national control, the harking back to an imagined historical, social and cultural identity, such as we have seen in the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the more recent elections in the United States, will inevitably end in frustrated expectations,” he noted. 

Observing that the concept of national sovereignty, which is integral to the concept of a nation-state, is constrained by the blurring of lines between domestic and external factors, Mr. Saran said ‘the world is more densely inter-connected, our destinies as countries and peoples are more intertwined and the challenges we confront cut across regional and national boundaries than at any other time in human history’.

Warning that ‘Nationalism without internationalism is the road to a dead-end’, the former Foreign Secretary said that issues like climate change and contemporary challenges such as international terrorism, drug trafficking or international crime can only be addressed through global and collaborative measures. National governance structures are no longer adequate to deal with their consequences, he added.

Speaking on the impact of accelerated technological change and the irreversible globalisation of economies, he observed  that the inter-connectedness of the globe through digital technology, the instantaneousness of communication and its increasingly visual character, and the expanding reach and influence of social media beyond the control of states, have vastly expanded the scale of unregulated domains.

Arguing that the ecological, economic and strategic challenges of the new millennium can only be tackled through governance at the international scale, he concluded that the drivers of cross-border challenges are technological and economic, and are now so deeply embedded in our lives as individuals and communities that they cannot be unravelled. “