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image.pngThe launch of Bedaquiline – a new anti-TB drug for Drug Resistant TB as part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme – is part of government’s new strategies towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the End TB Strategy. This new class of drug is a diarylquinoline that specifically targets Mycobacterial ATP synthase, an enzyme essential for supply of energy to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most other mycobacteria. This drug is indicated for use in the treatment of drug-resistant TB. Bedaquiline is being introduced at six identified tertiary care centres across India. These sites have advanced facilities for laboratory testing and intensive care for patients. Bedaquiline will be given to multi-drug resistant TB patients with resistance to either all fluoroquinolone and/or all second line injectables and extensive drug resistant TB.

India also has a large number of drug resistance cases and drug resistance is a major cause for concern because of lack of adherence to medicines and the availability of TB drugs over the counter. Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem despite noteworthy socio-economic development and availability of technology. It was made a notifiable disease in 2012. India is a signatory to “”The End TB Strategy“” that calls for a world free of tuberculosis, with measurable aims of a 50 per cent and 75 per cent reduction in incidence and related deaths, respectively by 2050, and corresponding reductions of 90 per cent and 95 per cent by 2035. The SDGs which came into effect from January 1, 2016 require that all three dimensions of development – economic, social and environmental—are addressed in an integrated manner to ensure that “”no one is left behind.””

Though India is the second most populous country in the world, one fourth of the global TB cases occur in India annually. As per WHO Global TB Report 2015, of the estimated global incidence of 9.6 million TB cases, 2.2 million were estimated to have occurred in India. As per the current WHO estimates, India’s TB control programme is on track as far as reduction in disease burden is concerned. There is 58 per cent reduction in TB mortality rate as compared to 1990 level as there is 55 per cent reduction in TB prevalence rate by 2014 as compared to 1990 level with the trend declining steadily. Tuberculosis prevalence per lakh population has reduced from 465 in year 1990 to 195 in 2013 which in terms of numbers means the prevalence has reduced from 40 lakh to 15 lakh annually.

Tuberculosis incidence per lakh population has further reduced to 167 in 2014 and TB mortality per lakh population has come down to 17 in 2012 as against 38 in 1990. In absolute numbers, mortality due to TB has reduced from 3.3 lakh to 2.2 lakh annually. The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P.Nadda said that India was committed to fighting Tb and resources would not be a constraint. He also inducted over 500 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines in the programme. The CBNAAT is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance, simultaneously. This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialized training.

Until 2015, 121 CBNAAT sites are functional in the country largely providing decentralized testing for detection of DR TB. With the availability of these additional 500 machines, access to rapid quality assured diagnosis of DR TB and TB will be ensured in all the districts of India either directly or through a linkage by specimen transport mechanism. Additionally, the programme will be able to use this highly sensitive state-of-art technology for diagnosis of TB among key populations like children, PLHIV and extra pulmonary TB patients. India has also launched the ‘Third line ART programme for People Living with HIV’. The life-saving third line ART costs nearly Rs. 1.18 lakh per patient per year. Providing these free would not only safe lives but improve socioeconomic conditions of the patients. This initiative brings India’s ART programme at par with programmes in the developed countries. “

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BJPPDP.pngUncertainty over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to end over the next couple of weeks or so as prospects of a BJP-PDP government taking over reins of the State have revived. First, a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti in the Capital went off well, signaling that the deadlock which has persisted in the wake of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death this January may get over soon. After meeting the Prime Minister, Mehbooba had described the meeting as “”very positive and good in addressing issues pertaining to the people of the state.”” In the past, she had talked about confidence building measures which should be taken by the Centre in the State.

Second, making all right noises Mehbooba Mufti, MP and daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who has the responsibility of taking her father’s legacy forward, is scheduled to meet PDP legislators in Srinagar on Thursday where some firm contours about the new government are likely to take shape. Though Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that PDP-BJP alliance had polarized people in Jammu region and Kashmir Valley, he favoured taking the political process ahead and attend to some immediate issues which the PDP had been raising. “”It includes engaging all stakeholders and improving ties with Pakistan,”” he told journalists at a reception held on Wednesday evening at Pakistan High Commission to mark the National Day of Pakistan. The reception was attended by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. Last year, Minister of State for Overseas Affairs V. K. Singh’s presence at the same event had created a controversy.

Mr. Javadekar was at the reception for about 15 minutes. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that he would have liked the present Modi government to follow in the footsteps of the Vajpayee government and its policy towards Kashmir but regretted that the current BJP-led government had hardened its position. The Mirwaiz said the Kashmir issue was a political issue and all parties should be engaged to resolve it politically. During his visit to Kashmir in 2003, the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee  had said that his government was open to hold talks with separatists on Kashmir “”within the ambit of Insaniyat.”” Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was also present and criticized the hardened attitude of the Modi government towards Kashmir. All eyes will be on Thursday’s meeting of PDP legislators in Srinagar where Mehbooba might announce the future course of action.

If the legislators elect Mehbooba as their leader, it will pave the way for the first woman Chief Minister of the State to take oath. Only a few days ago, she had met the BJP President Amit Shah in the Capital and hit a roadblock. Earlier, at a party briefing Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had described Mehbooba’s meeting with the Prime Minister as constructive and good. Only two days ago, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had indicated that all was not lost, saying that the BJP was committed to the agenda of alliance. With 27 MLAs (down from 28 after Sayeed’s death), in the 87-member assembly, PDP is the single largest party. The BJP has 25. The National Conference has 15 and the Congress 12. Other parties have 7 members.”

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Swallowing its pride the BJP-led NDA government has woken up to the realisation that the archaic sedition law evolved by the British colonisers to scare away freedom fighters needs to be urgently revisited. This has happened after the arrest and release of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar under this draconian measure. The overreach of the Delhi police by invoking the sedition provision against university students has been widely criticised. Opinion is divided among legal experts whether Section 124-A should remain on the statute books. Its abuse impairs a critical feature of dissent in a democracy.  Importantly, the essential ingredient of this section dating back to 1860 — an imminent threat to public order — was absent in the case.

It has now become a major impediment for free speech guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution.  Former CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat criticised the Modi government for bringing universities across the country under siege. “”There have been constant attempts to impose ideological hegemony on universities.”” As the former JNUSU president he stressed “”this crisis at JNU has also been directed by the top government machinery. RSS has always called JNU a den of anti-nationals.”” The role of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, cannot be undermined. Egged on by the RSS and the Sangh Parivar, it has played its part in whipping up frenzy against the so called anti-nationalists. The presence of ABVP activists on campuses in different parts of the country has been insignificant in the past. With the BJP led NDA government in power for nearly two years the ABVP has been galvanised into action.

Definition of Sedition too wide

The government acknowledged that the definition of sedition was too wide and it was being referred to the Law Commission. Union Home minister Rajnath Singh assured that an all party meeting will be convened once the Law Commission submits its report to the centre.  The 1971 report of the Law Commission wanted to expand the term relating to inciting “”disaffection towards the government established by law”” with regard to the Constitution, Parliament, the government and legislatures of the States, and the administration of justice. While upholding sedition as an offence under “”public order””, the Supreme Court ruled it ought to be invoked only if a particular speech or action had a “”pernicious tendency to create public disorder””. Words such as “”attempts to bring hatred or contempt”” are unacceptably vague, and further explanation that ‘disaffection’ includes “”disloyalty and all feelings of enmity”” compounds the problem. Two High Courts had declared Section 124-A unconstitutional before the Supreme Court upheld the section in 1962 in Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar. The Law Commission should take into account recent developments especially the flagrant instances of misuse of the sedition law and the tendency to invoke it against those involved in strident forms of political protest heaping scathing criticism on the government.  One way to limit its mischief is to narrow the definition; but a more rational and constitutional option would be to scrap the provision altogether. Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed apprehensions that given the wide definition of the sedition law “”half of the parties will be anti-national if there is a ban on speaking against the government.””

He wondered whether those engaged in the machinations of “”communal divide”” will also be brought within the ambit of the sedition law after the review.  Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijuju made it clear in the Rajya Sabha that he was not defending the action of the Delhi police. It may be recalled that in the early years sedition came with severe punishments including the perpetrators having their ears cut off for a first offence and being put to death for committing it time and again. Later it became punishable up to life imprisonment and/or a fine and in most cases “”not only truth was no defence but the intention was irrelevant.””  The relevance of the Shreya Singhal v. Union of India case last year declaring unconstitutional the notorious Section 66A of the Information Technology Act the court ruled that the speech howsoever offensive, annoying or inconvenient cannot be prosecuted unless its utterance have, at the least, a proximate connection with any incitement to disrupt public order. What is significant is that it freed online speech in this country from the threat of arrests and prosecution.

Can there be democracy without dissent?

It is widely believed there cannot be a democracy without dissent. There are inevitable peoples’ movements waging a perpetual struggle against whosoever is in power in Delhi. It was only during the dark days of the Emergency that any kind of dissent was throttled. It has also never been suggested that an opinion contrary to that of the government is inimical to national interest.  Dissent is anything but anti-national. This nation has been built on dissent at crucial times in its history. It is time that vague definition of offences which result in mindless prosecution based merely on the wording of the Act that allows provocative and innocuous speeches being treated as criminal is stopped. Newly appointed Law Commission Chairman Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan acknowledged that the sedition law required “”reconsideration.”” He made it clear that the panel will not jump to any conclusion before hearing all stakeholders. “”We do not know what the problems and difficulties are. We will hear all stakeholders and consult criminal lawyers,”” the former Supreme Court judge observed. Meanwhile, the Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy held a panel discussion on “”Free Speech and Sedition in a Democracy”” where Justice K Chandru, a former judge of the Madras High Court observed “”it (sedition) was political and always misused by the political class”” in this country. He gave the evidence of singer Kovan in the southern state being booked under sedition. “”If a law is likely to be misused, then it is an arbitrary law,”” Justice Chandru added. The discussion was held in Chennai last Thursday.

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

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Sunderban.pngPeople’s movements in India have joined hands with their Bangladesh counterparts to save the Sunderbans with a delegation of 11 senior activists taking part in the Long March organized by National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, and Power to protest against a power plant being jointly build by the two countries which is likely to impact the delicate ecosystem of the Sunderbans. The march started from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on March 10 to Kathakhali Morh, Bagherhat district, Bangladesh – a distance of 250 kms from the capital. The Rampal power plant is being built through a joint-venture by Bangladesh’s Power Development Board and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), with machinery coming from India’s Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), finance coming from Indian ExIm Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers (India) contracted for Long term coal sourcing, maritime transportation, transshipment, inland water transport and logistics.

Ashok Choudhury, and Roma Malik of All India Union of Forest Working People, Soumya Dutta, of Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha and India Climate Justice, Magline Peter of National Fishworkers Forum, Bharat Patel of Machimar Adhikaar Sangharsh Sangathan, Gujarat, representatives of Delhi Solidarity Group and other environmentalists were part of the Indian delegation. The delegation reiterated their support to the movement to protect the Sundarbans and called upon the Governments of India and Bangladesh to cancel the project and seek decentralized and sustainable solutions to address the energy issues. They warned that in the coming days a more coordinated opposition will be build on both sides of the boarder, bringing together like-minded people’s movements, political parties and intellectuals, to protect Sundarbans. “People’s movements in India resonate with the key message of the Bangladesh movements  – that while there are alternatives for sources of energy, there is no alternative to the Sundarbans. Sundarbans is a critical life-support ecosystem to India as much as it is for Bangladesh. Protecting it is the responsibility of people of both countries”, Ashok Choudhury, General Secretary, All India Union of Forest Working People said.

“If Rampal and the adjacent Orion projects are allowed to come up, everyday, lakhs of litres of hot water would be pumped out from these projects to the Passur river along with the release of millions of tons of toxic coal ash in the surrounding air, water and soil every year., severely affecting , vegetation, fish and other aquatic wealth, and reducing the oxygen level in the river drastically, devastating farming and fishing livelihoods  ”, Soumya Dutta, Convener of the Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha said. “Amongst the fishworkers, women are the worst affected,” Magline Peter of National Fishworkers Forum said. “While they are already burdened with running the household, Rampal project makes it further difficult. The project would be detrimental to the food security of the region,” she added. The delegation, after talking to different political and civil society representatives, expressed concern about the increasing anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh.

“At a time when it is important to strengthen relationship with neighboring countries, it is unfortunate that India is promoting this project which is alienating India further. It is important that a Parliamentary delegation visit Bangladesh and discuss the implications of the project with different stakeholders and take a pro-people position on the project to restore the faith and confidence on India,” Roma, deputy General Secretary of All India Union of Forest Working People said. The delegation also warned that with coal projects coming up in and near Sundarbans, with a requirement of over 4 million tons of imported coal each year for Rampal project alone, grave accidents are just round the corner and the governments should take cognizance of it and should restrain from exposing Sundarbans from more danger.”

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TBDay.pngAhead of the World TB Day–observed on 24 March – the WHO has called upon countries and partners to “”Unite to End Tuberculosis””. The call comes as the world enters the era of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ending tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 is a target of the SDGs and the goal of the WHO End TB Strategy. Describing it as an ambitious aim, the WHO has said in a statement that while there has been significant progress in the fight against TB, with 43 million lives saved since 2000, the battle is only half-won: over 4 000 people lose their lives each day to this leading infectious disease. Many of the communities that are most burdened by tuberculosis are those that are poor, vulnerable and marginalized.

“”Ending TB will only be achieved with greater collaboration within and across governments, and with partners from civil society, communities, researchers, the private sector and development agencies. This means taking a whole-of-society and multidisciplinary approach, in the context of universal health coverage,”” the statement says. Momentum is growing at country and community levels – including in the 30 countries with the highest TB burden (over 85% of the global burden). A number of countries are strengthening the strategic agendas of their TB programmes, by adopting newer tools, extending access to care and linking with other parts of government to reduce the financial costs borne by patients. Other countries are partnering with researchers to speed development of diagnostic tests, drugs and vaccines, and to improve delivery.

Citing India’s progress, the statement says that it is home to more people ill with TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) than any other country, and has committed to achieving universal access to TB care with its campaign for a TB-Free India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is expanding its capacity to test patients rapidly for drug-resistant TB and is initiating use of bedaquiline, a new, WHO-recommended drug in MDR-TB treatment. In addition, by making TB case notification mandatory in 2012 and by intensifying efforts to engage the private sector, case notifications rose 29% in 2014 alone. In working towards universal health coverage, South Africa has greatly expanded access to Xpert MTB/RIF, a WHO-recommended rapid molecular test for TB and drug-resistant TB. South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV who are receiving TB preventive treatment in the world. Similarly, the statement also cites the achievements made in Thailand, the Russian Federation, Brazil and Vietnam in dealing with TB at various levels.

However, despite these advances, the WHO points out that formidable challenges remain including fragile health systems, human resource and financial constraints, and the serious co-epidemics with HIV, diabetes, and tobacco use. MDR-TB is another critical challenge. Urgent and effective action to address antimicrobial resistance is key to ending TB by 2030. So are increased investments, as the global tuberculosis response remains underfunded for both implementation and research. TB ranks alongside HIV/AIDS the world’s top infectious disease killer with 9.6 million falling ill in 2014 and 1.5 million dying from the disease including 3.8 lakh among those living with HIV. More than 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and TB is among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44.

Even worse, in 2014, an estimated 1 million children became ill with TB and 140,000 children died. Globally, in 2014, an estimated 480,000 people developed MDR-TB. The WHO End TB Strategy aims to reduce TB deaths by 90% and to cut new cases by 80% between 2015 and 2030, and to ensure that no TB-affected family faces catastrophic costs due to TB. India has the highest TB burden in the world. According to the WHO Global TB Report 2015, of the estimated global incidence of 9.6 million TB cases, 2.2 million were estimated to have occurred in India though there have been remarkable achievements in combating the disease since 1990.

“”Despite the highly acclaimed Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and other initiatives of the government, there is no respite from this disease and we continue to lose thousands of valuable liver every day because of TB notwithstanding the valuable loss of human capital and huge economic burden of nearly 24 billion dollars annually,”” points out Dalbir Singh, president of Global Coalition Against TB. According to Mr Singh, since nearly 60 % of patients are still treated in the highly unregulated private sector, it is imperative that we engage it productively and proactively with a rational structure so as to prevent spread of Multi Drug Resistant TB, caused largely by inappropriate treatment regimens used in the private sector.

“”The shortfalls in the budget allocated for TB in the public sector must also be addressed on priority. If we have to eradicate this epidemic in the timeframe set in our strategic plan, we have to display enormous political will, step up our research and development efforts possible by establishing a ‘National TB Research Consortium’ and make effective use of tools like ICT, create partnerships and learn from best experiences of other countries in addition to sensitizing policymakers at all levels,”” he says.”

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Over 300 academics, activists, artists and writers from across the globe have condemned the ongoing `brutal attacks’ on and `illegal detention’ of peacefully protesting faculty and students at the University of Hyderabad by the administration and the police. They have also condemned the restriction of access to basic necessities like water and food on campus. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, academics, writers, activists and artists have expressed their solidarity with the protesting students, staff and faculty of the University and demanded immediate withdrawal of police from the campus and release of and withdrawal of all cases against arrested students and faculty. They have also asked for suspension of the Vice-Chancellor P.Appa Rao and a judicial enquiry into the role of the Human Resource Development Ministry and the HRD Minister of State Mr Bandaru Dattatreya in inciting violence against Daits on the campus.

Further, the statement seeks an independent enquiry into the incidents of violence on the campus including the `role of ABVP in vandalizing the Vice-Chancellors office,’ action against police personnel named by students in their complaints and passage of the `Rohith Act’ against caste discrimination in education. The students and faculty members of the University of Hyderabad were protesting the reinstatement of Dr. Appa Rao Podile as the Vice-Chancellor despite the ongoing judicial enquiry against him related to the circumstances leading to the death of the dalit student Rohith Vemula on January 17, 2016. Students and faculty members of the university community are concerned that this may provide him the opportunity to tamper with evidence and to influence witnesses. Suicides by dalit students have been recurring in the University of Hyderabad and other campuses across the country, the statement said.

The issue spiraled into a nationwide students’ protest with the death of the dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. The protests have pushed into the foreground public discussion and debate on the persistence of caste-based discrimination in educational institutions, and surveillance and suppression of dissent and intellectual debate in university spaces.””Since the morning of March 22 when Dr. Appa Rao returned to campus, the students and staff have been in a siege-like situation. The peacefully protesting staff and students were brutally lathi-charged by the police, and 27 people were taken into custody. The 27 detainees were untraceable for 48 hours, brutally tortured, and denied legal access. In short, all legal procedures of detention have been suspended. After the incident, the university has been locked down with no access to food, water, electricity, and Internet connectivity.  Â Students were brutally assaulted when they opened community kitchens.  Lawyers and members of human rights organization as well the ordinary citizens of the city were denied access to students. University of Hyderabad is one of India’s biggest public universities,”” the statement said.

“”We have followed, with deep concern, similar violent attacks and undemocratic crackdown on students on the campuses of Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Film and Television Institute of India, the University of Allahabad, Jadavpur University, Burdwan University, and others across the country. That the highest administrative authorities in the university have allowed the silencing of debate and dissent is unfortunate. We are disturbed by the pattern of growing nexus between student vigilante groups, youth wing of the ruling party, state and university authorities in colleges and university campuses across the country in order to mobilize the state machinery against vulnerable students. This has created a climate of fear and oppression in the country, and continually violates fundamental human and Constitutional rights of students,”” the statement said.

The signatories include: Lawrence Cohen, Director, Institute for South Asia Studies, University of California, Berkeley; Navtej K Purewal Deputy Director, South Asia Institute SOAS University of London; Akhil Gupta, Director, Center for India and South Asia (CISA), UCLA; Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), MIT; Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director, The Oakland Institute; Barbara Harriss-White, Oxford University; Kavita Krishnan, Secretary AIPWA; Sandeep Pandey, former Visiting Faculty, IIT, BHU, Varanasi; Michael D. Yates, Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh, United States; Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Professor of Political Science and Chair of Women’s Studies Department, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Gerald Epstein, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Nivedita Menon, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Alpa Shah, London School of Economics; Rahul Varman, IIT Kanpur; Ajantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies, Harvard University; Dr. Pérez de Mendiola, Richard Armour Professor of Modern Languages, Chair, Dept. of Latin American, Caribbean and Spanish Literatures and Cultures & Humanities, Scripps College; Samantha Agarwal, PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University; Valentina Dallona, Johns Hopkins University; Xiao Yu, Peking University; Narendra Subramaniam, McGill University; Suvrat Raju, TIFR; Preeti Shekar, Asian College of Journalism; Ahmed Sohaib, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; in addition to a number of faculty members from JNU and Delhi University among others.”

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ConflictCommunication.pngAs the former Principal Information Officer of the Union government, he never dodged scribes and was literally available 24X7. Being an uncanny newshound sharpened his skills of being an effective communicator. He was never one to duck a challenge. The ever smiling and amiable I Ramamohan Rao was a hands on communicator and highly reliable. Anyone could bank on him with a query and if he did not have a response immediately, he’d say “”I’ll get back to you.”” Got back he did in quick time. He held a typical open house every evening when a large number of scribes assembled in the PIO’s spacious office at the Press Information Bureau in Shastri Bhawan in Lutyens Delhi firing away questions on a wide range of issues. He would patiently contact ministers and secretaries concerned to assimilate the facts and disseminate information without the least fuss.

After he superannuated, the PIB became a dull and boring place with hardly any one willing to take such an initiative as it would amount to needlessly burdening themselves in disseminating information. Having served four Prime Ministers — Rajiv Gandhi, V P Singh, Chandrasekhar and P V Narasimha Rao — he reveled being in conflict zones as evidenced in his highly absorbing book “”CONFLICT COMMUNICATION : Chronicles of a Communicator.”” The PIB lost the vibrancy of communication after he superannuated. Rao captures in a simple and direct style the major happenings in the country over the last five decades encompassing politics, war, economics and what have you. He joined the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in 1956 and was later inducted into the Indian Information Service when it was created

He headed the PIB for seven years. He served as a communicator in various capacities right from the time of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He served in the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Gaza and edited their weekly magazine Sand Dune. He was involved with creating communication facilities during the 1962 Chinese aggression. Even as efforts were on to rebuild the defenses of the country, he continued reporting on the conflict from the field as a Public Relations Officer during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. Later he was at the Defence Headquarters in Delhi during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict which saw the emergence of Bangladesh. Rao has had a highly chequered career. He makes it clear this is not an autobiography.

As a communicator he was privileged to have a ringside view of the processes; the pulls and pressures that go into decision making at the highest level. He believes the lessons he has learnt as a communicator hold much greater significance in the world of constantly breaking news and social media. The challenges for the government are indeed greater. He joined the PIB by chance during his first visit to Delhi in 1955. He escorted his cousin Meera Rao from Bombay who participated in the Hindustani music competition by the All India Radio. With time on his hands he strolled towards Parliament House. The banner of a seminar organised by the Bureau of Parliamentary studies on the Indian Constitution caught his attention. As the subject interested him he walked into Parliament House easily as no entry pass was required those days.

In one of the rooms more than a hundred people had gathered and Jawaharlal Nehru was on the podium elaborating on the Constitution. Barely 21 years old, Pandit Nehru came near the table where he was picking up a cup of tea. He asked Rao “”I guess you are a student. Did you find the discussion interesting?”” He replied “”Sir, I have just finished my law degree and MA and I found the speeches interesting.  What are your views, young man,”” Panditji asked again. “”I took the courage to say that the Indian Constitution was unitary in character than federal, and that there was a danger to the unity of the country from the demands for the reorganisation of the states gaining momentum. Panditji smiled, patted me and told me to keep alive my interests in Parliamentary democracy.”” It is a moment which has remained etched in his memory. “”It was overwhelming for me to be in the presence of Panditji, a charismatic leader, and to be spoken to by him.””

Accompanied by his maternal grand uncle U S Mohan Rao, who was Director of the Publications Division, they went to meet the PIO T R V Chari. He mentioned that the results of his law examination was due. The Bombay Edition of the Times of India was promptly requisitioned and Rao had passed standing first in the Bombay State. Chari told his uncle not to send the young man back but appear in the written test and interview. He was selected for the job in the PIB. During the UNEP assignment, Rao’s boss Ole Dich wanted him to join the UN civil service as a communicator. He got the offer but declined as there was real excitement with war brewing at home in 1962. Ole Dich gave him sage parting advice: “”Ram stay close to the generals during war. They know how to look after themselves.””

The reverses against China had a traumatic impact on the morale of the country. To rebuild the army and restore the confidence of the people in the ability of the armed forces to defend the country’s frontiers, the government felt it necessary to share the information with the people. New directions were laid down that during future operations there should be an office of War Information in New Delhi and arrangements should be made to set up press camps in forward areas near the formations. At the camps the formation commanders or their authorised representatives had to brief the media. Correspondents were to be put in uniform to cover the war to facilitate their movement and safety if they became prisoners. It was also decided to have a war correspondent’s course for the media. Rao conducted the first course in 1967 at the division headquarters near Pathankot. By the time the next war broke out in 1971, there was a team of defence correspondents well trained in reporting the war.

Today there is no time lag between what is happening on the battlefield and its dissemination. Information is available across the nation’s frontiers. The country had a taste of the close link between the media and national security during the Kargil operations in 1999. What was happening in Kargil was seen by the citizens of the country in a matter of hours, if not minutes. The television coverage also exposed Pakistan’s claims that those entrenched in Kargil were Kashmiri militants. On the contrary they were Pakistani soldiers. It became evident to the whole world that the Pakistani army was fully involved in the Kargil operations. Rao referred to the Al Faran episode in Kashmir in July 1995 when ten European tourists were taken hostage. It established that militancy in Kashmir was being carried out by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. It exposed the involvement of the Pakistanis and terrorists of Afghan and West Asian origin in Jammu and Kashmir.

Several committees were constituted to look into the matter according access to cover the war and frame guidelines which have since been adopted. At the same time communication between the government and the people is essential so that government policies and activities are widely known. An incisive and must read book.

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
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defexpo2014.pngKnown globally for its serene beaches, scenic beauty and old architecture, Goa attracts domestic as well as international tourists in large number every year but for the first time Goa is opening its doors to Defence Exposition 2016 (DefExpo) from March 28 which will bring together 1,030 Indian and global armaments manufacturers. The four-day premier defence exhibition of the country is being inaugurated Monday by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, former Goa chief minister who guided the ninth edition of DefExpo out of New Delhi to Quepem Taluka of South Goa. March-end also marks end of the peak tourist season in Goa but this year around, the picture is different as required infrastructure on such a large scale is being readied and delegates from foreign and Indian companies have descended here for participating in the exhibition.

The interest of foreign armaments manufacturers can be gauged from the fact that major exhibitors are from the United States (93 companies), Russia (71), UK (46), Germany (39), France (38), Israel (38) as well as arms firms from South Korea and Italy. Being the world’s largest weapons importer, India evokes substantial interest in the global arms market. “More than 47 countries are participating in Defexpo 2016. For the first time, we will be holding live demonstrations of equipment, which was a constraint in Delhi”, said AK Gupta, Secretary, Defence Production. As many as 490 foreign arms manufacturers and 540 Indian companies are participating in the current edition of DefExpo. While Pakistan has not been extended an invitation as usual, China has not confirmed if it will send an official delegation to the exhibition.

This time around, the BJP-led NDA government has not barred any blacklisted or scam­tainted companies from participating in DefExpo.  As a result, Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, which was asked to stay away from the DefExpo held in the national Capital in 2014, will be taking part in DefExpo 2016. Finmeccanica’s UK-based Agusta-Westland’s VVIP helicopter deal had run into controversy and the then UPA government had scrapped it as allegations of corruption in swinging the deal in Agusta-Westland’s favour surfaced. “”The DefExpo assumes tremendous importance in the backdrop of the government’s Make in India thrust,” Mr. Gupta said. He indicated that the success of Defexpo 2016 would not be gauged by the contracts signed, but by how effectively it would provide a business-to-business forum for Indian and foreign companies to tie up partnerships to benefit from the “Make in India” policy.”

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The ninth edition of the DefeExpo 2016, the biennial land, naval and internal homeland security systems exhibition opened in Naqueri-Quitol, South Goa on March 28. The four-day mega event has travelled out of the Capital and is being held in Goa for the first time. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, also a former Chief Minister of Goa, inaugurated the DefExpo and unveiled the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which gives top priority to the Indian-designed, developed and manufactured (IDDM) category. “”This DPP can actually push the agenda of `Make in India’ and India’s target of achieving major successes in creating a defence industry network for its own needs as well as exports,”” Mr. Parrikar said.

• The government will finance 90% of the cost of producing defence equipment by the private sector under a new sub-category in the DPP-2016.
• The defence sector is a key sector among the 25 sectors of industry covered under the initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014.
• “”The government is proactive in promoting Make in India. Startup India can be a big contributor in the defence sector. With the new DPP, we have ensured that transparency is greater and clearances are faster,”” Mr. Parrikar said while inviting the industry to participate in a big way.
• “”The DPP favours swift decision making, provides for suitable timelines and delegates powers to the appropriate authorities to ensure an efficient and effective implementation of the procurement process, by all stakeholders concerned,”” the DPP said.
• For the past several years, the private sector’s engagement in the defence sector has not been substantial as the domestic manufacturing is still dominated by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB). India continues to import high-tech and major defence equipment and is the largest importer of arms globally.
• In the recent past, companies like Bharat Forge Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd, the Tata Group, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, the Godrej Group, the Kalyani group, the Punj Llyod group and the Mahindra Group have shown interest in scouting for business opportunities.
• Global giants like Airbus and Boeing are also keen to make their products in India and exporting them.
• As many as 1055 Indian and foreign companies from 47 countries are participating in DefExpo 2016 as against 624 in 2014.
• The pavilions of Russia, the U.S. and Israel are among the largest in the exhibition which is spread over an area of 40,725 square meter.

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The daring terrorist attack executed with clinical precision at the airport and the metro during peak rush hour in Brussels on March 22 has sent shock waves in Europe requiring re calibrating and upgrading security measures not just in Belgium but all of interconnected Europe. Ever since one of the main suspects of the Paris carnage Salah Abdeslam, who was preparing for more attacks in Europe, was arrested in Brussels recently after a hunt lasting four months, the threat became imminent. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s expressed their helplessness in no uncertain terms by emphasizing “”what we feared has happened”” thereby acknowledging the failure of the intelligence and security establishments. The terrorists have not just sent a strong message to Belgium but the entire European establishment.

The Islamic State (IS) which has claimed responsibility is making the point that it cannot be wished away or cowed down despite being bombed by Western powers in its den in Syria. One of the reasons for these attacks in faraway locations in that the group is facing military setbacks in and around the so called ‘caliphate’ the seat of its influence. For Europe, the chinks in its armor have to be bridged urgently. All countries including India must step up the vigil. No country can afford to be terror stricken especially as questions have been raised if terrorism has managed to get an upper hand especially in Europe. Ibrahim El Bakraaoui, the suicide bomber who killed 11 people at the airport was apprehended by Turkish authorities last summer just a few miles from the border with ISIS heartland in Syria. Police returned El Bakraaoui to Europe and warned he was a known extremist who posed a terror threat in his home country of Belgium.

However, officials in the Netherlands and Belgium let him walk free saying there was no evidence that he had committed a crime. Europe has also to consider the idea of a border-less continent and whether such a proposition can provide adequate security from terrorists being able to travel back and forth freely. The significance of striking at the headquarters of the European Union cannot be overlooked. The demand for stronger borders is bound to arise in the wake of this terrorist attack. The heightened search for jihadists has led to the arrest of seven persons — six in Belgium and one in France. What is alarming is that there is a serious assimilation problem with the refugees in Europe especially in Belgium which has the maximum number of 500 IS operatives and sympathizers compared to all the other countries in Europe.

Recent attacks in Europe shows that indoctrinated local youth have been carrying out these attacks. Europe has to find ways of stopping its youth from getting radicalized. There have been voices in Belgium underlining the need to effectively silence these elements spreading terror so that people can pursue their normal life. At the same time terrorists are increasingly picking soft targets at crowded places for maximum impact globally. It wants to create panic in societies known for their democratic and pluralistic values. The growing perception is that the IS has declared war on civilization. Ordinary believers of Islam have become as much victims of terror as others who are followers of different faiths. If the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria are tormenting much of West Asia, it is al Shabab and other affiliates of Al Qaeda which are attacking the innocent at regular intervals in large parts of Africa.

Even though the United States has not seen a major terrorist attack since 9/11, it has managed to foil a number of similar plots. The main conspirators of last November’s attacks in Paris were holed up in Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. The migrant crisis has compounded the problems for the Europeans. Statistics reveal that Belgium has the maximum number of 500 young people owing allegiance to the IS compared to any other country in Europe. It has been widely suggested that there may have been five terrorists in Brussels and that Abdesalam’s arrest some days back might have foiled strikes on the Belgian nuclear plants which would have been catastrophic. It has become apparent that Belgian authorities missed the signals of the diabolical plans of the terrorists. They are getting irritated and frustrated with others finding fault with them.

Investigators must remain calm rather than getting provoked. The authorities in Brussels have disclosed that it might take them weeks before verifying the DNA samples taken from tiny body parts of the suicide bombers. This means that families from around the world have a long and agonizing wait to know if their loved ones are among the dead. Terrorists despise the very freedoms that Europeans enjoy because in their wildest dreams they cannot imagine a society in West Asia which is open, progressive and multicultural. In the carnage in Brussels 30 people died and nearly 300 people were injured. What is of concern is that Europe is already fractured by debates over immigration and race.

At the same time security services have not been able to track and apprehend those terrorists whose identity as being the perpetrators of the Brussels attack was already known. Intelligence experts contend that greater intelligence sharing among European allies would have offset this perceived advantage to terrorists of the free movement rule. The specific aspect of intelligence sharing might come up at a special meeting of EU ministers to discuss the fallout of the Brussels blasts. Despite all this there is also the inherent problem that intelligence is usually never shared fully. Under the circumstances can real time intelligence sharing without holding back anything have saved precious lives and foiled the terrorist attack. India could lose much as it has a significant presence of its diaspora in West Asia which has the portends of threatening its energy security and business interests.Nevertheless, the offensive against the IS with Russian assistance has enabled the Syrian army to take control of Palmyra captured by the terror group last year. Paris and now Brussels has revealed what the IS can do. International powers and those fighting the scourge of terrorism must come together to defeat the threat of peace and stability in the region. There is also a dirty nuclear angle to this which cannot be ignored. Coordinated action against the IS has become imperative to restore the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

(The writer is a senior journalist and commentator. Views are personal)“