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Local solutions to conquer hungerK. Sandee

A decentralised Public Distribution System is democratic and involves rural communities at everystage of planning and implementation.

India is a hungry country. The Food and Agriculture Organisation Report on Hunger 2006 pegs

the numer o! malnourished in India at212 million and estimates that et"een 20 and 34 percent of our population is malnourished. #espite the implementation o! the $ulic #istriutionSystem !or se%eral decades and Targeted $#S !or the last one&and&a&hal! decades' it isestimated that more than 50 per cent of the children in rural areas suffer frommalnourishment; with 21 per cent suffering from severe malnutrition. The irony is that thesedismal !acts and statistics coe(ist "ith record production o! !oodgrains. So' "hy is it that there issuch depri%ation amidst such plenty)

*reen Re%olution

More than 65 per cent of the ndian landmass is semi!arid. The agriculture that e%ol%ed underthese regions is adapted to lo" rain!all and poor soils. The agricultural systems here arecharacterised y the practice o! mi"ed farming. +hether it is the Saat #haan o! Ra,asthan or the

-araah Anaa, system o! ttara/hand or the $annendu $antalu system o! Andhra $radesh' onesees a multitude o! crops eing culti%ated and such systems ensure the sur%i%al o! ruralcommunities' e%en under the harshest o! conditions.

The *reen Re%olution rought aout !undamental changes in the paradigm o! Indian agriculture.It o!!ered purely technical solutions to the !ood crisis that "as pre%ailing. Impro%ed' high&yieldingand hyrid seeds "ere introduced !armers "ere pushed to use chemical pesticides and!ertili1ers mono&cropping "as introduced all "ith an intention to augment !ood production andaugment it did. One cannot dispute the !act that the *reen Re%olution resulted in an increase inthe production o! certain !oodgrains and it did lead to the prosperity o! !armers in certain poc/etso! the country. -ut in the long run' the policies pursued under the *reen Re%olution greatlyundermined Indian agriculture.

#ural communities lost control over the seeds the$ were sowing in their lands% and&ecame dependent on traders and e"tension services for most of the agricultural inputs;the progressivel$ high doses of pesticides and fertili'ers led to poisoned soils; the cost ofcultivation shot up; agricultural &io!diversit$ was decimated% with several endemic land!races completel$ disappearing; and nutritional deficiencies got further accentuated%especiall$ in rural ndia(All these !actors together precipitated an agrarian crisis that sa" morethan 200'000 !armers' mostly in arid and semi&arid regions' committing suicide.

A closer loo/ at e(isting $#S

$#S "as created "ith an intention to pro%ide the people o! India the poor especially needed tolead a digni!ied li!e. Analyses ha%e indicated thatrice% wheat and sugar account for )5 percent of all items purchased from *+, outlets in rural areas. The %ast ma,ority o! the rural

population depends on cereals !or most o! the calori!ic and nutritional re3uirements 6- percent of the calorific needs and 6) per cent of the protein needs of the rural population aremet through cereals alone. And yet' there has een an overall decline in &oth calorific inta.eas well as protein inta.e especiall$ among the poor( /his clearl$ points to the poor qualit$of cereals that are &eing consumed &$ the rural populace 45SSO data indicate that $#S riceand "heat are in!erior to millets and endemic !oodgrains in terms o! nutritional content. This alsoindicates that the decimation o! mi(ed !arming systems that comprised a %ariety o! cropsundermined the nutritional inta/e o! the rural households. Since nutritional needs could not emet !rom "ithin their %illages and lands' rural households "ere compelled to meet them !rom

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mar/ets "ith the result' more than 77 per cent o! the monthly per capita e(penditure incurred yrural households is to"ards !ood. This is "here the current $#S has !allen short.

In the $#S as it e(ists today' large 3uantities o! grains are procured !rom one part o! the country'stored in "arehouses' and mo%ed to other parts. #espite spending millions on these processes'"e ha%e not succeeded in reaching e%ery noo/ o! India nor ha%e "e een ale to cur corruption

that has ecome endemic to this system.

Finally' the a%ailaility o! cheap rice and wheat at *+, outlets has dissuaded man$ a ruralhousehold from tr$ing cuisine that evolved out of the environmental and socio!economicconditions in a given area( /hese local cuisines were cost!effective% used local ingredientsthus minimising the need to depend on e"ternal sources% and were designed to meet thenutritional needs of people in the most effective wa$.

In the light o! these arguments' "e ad%ocate the need !or decentralising the $#S. Thedecentralised $ulic #istriution System is $#S reimagined one that is democratic and in%ol%esrural communities at e%ery stage o! planning and implementation.

The concept of decentralised *+, rests on the principles of localised procurement%

storage and distri&ution( /he emphasis is on the participation of people especiall$ themarginalised and women and on a holistic approach that integrates &iodiversit$% naturalresource management% rural livelihoods and empowerment( The inclusion o! local /no"ledgeand e(pertise at e%ery stage "ould ma/e such a $#S truly participatory. Such a $#S "ouldfocus on the food crops that are locall$ produced. In some locations this might e millets'"hile in others it might e endemic %arieties o! rice and "heat. -eing made a part o! $#S "ouldenhance the demand !or these !oodgrains and augment their production' thus re%i%ing traditionalagricultural practices. The storage o! these grains "ould also e underta/en y the localcommunities' at %illage or panchayat le%el' thus reducing storage and transport costs' andgenerating employment !or a !e" rural households.

Re%i%al o! traditional systems

The re%i%al o! traditional agricultural systems "ould mean that a diverse range of cereals%pulses% oilseeds and vegeta&les would &e availa&le close on hand to the ruralcommunities( /he com&ination of such crops would ensure that the nutritional needs ofthe communities are locall$ met at a reasona&le price( /his is li.el$ to ena&le ruralhouseholds to spend less on food and use the mone$ thus saved for other purposes. The!act that such systems are hardy anddo not need pesticides and fertili'ers "ould also help!armers to ring do"n the cost o! agriculture. Further' the in&uilt ris/&mitigation properties o! suchagricultural systems enhance the capacities o! rural households to cope "ith the phenomenon o!climate change.

Together' these ene!its "ould enhance incomes and sa%ings o! rural households' andstrengthen the rural economy and hold the potential to decrease distress migration. Further'decentralised $#S and re%i%ing the traditional systems "ould restore "omen8s place in the

dri%ers8 seat' as !ar as the production and distriution o! the !oodgrains are concerned gi%e theman opportunity to de%elop entrepreneurial and organisational s/ills and rea/ stereotypical genderroles in relation to di%ision o! laour in agriculture.

Thus' a decentralised $#S not only ensures that the rural communities ha%e access to ade3uate!ood and nutrition' ut also empo"ers them to see/ that nutrition in their midst. It places thecontrol o%er !ood and !arming ac/ into the hands o! the rural populace and re&estalishes theprominent role o! "omen in agriculture not to mention the prominent ecological and economiccosts that "ould e accrued y the communities.

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Food Security -ill 9 $#S

The 5ational Food Security -ill that has een taled in $arliament see/s to enhance the !oodsecurity o! the poor' ut pro%ides !or measures that are grossly inade3uate. Man$ #t activists%including the +eccan +evelopment ,ociet$ ++,% have &een demanding the inclusion of

millets and the implementation of a decentralised *+,( owever% the ill accepts onl$ theformer( onsidering the small quantities of millets that are presentl$ produced 1- milliontonnes% handling them centrall$ would &e unvia&le in the long run. Further' a centralised*+, would sideline local .nowledge and food cultures and there&$ undermine the well!&eing of the rural masses. There!ore' !or long&term !ood so%ereignty o! India and !or thenutritional security o! its rural communities' it is asolutely %ital that a decentralised $#S e madepart o! 5FS- and %igorously implemented.

4K. Sandeep is $rogram :oordinator' #eccan #e%elopment Society' Hyderaad. The article hasused inputs !rom "omen !armers o! ##S.

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udgeting for a new visionOne o! the iggest challenges in go%ernance is to not lose sight o! long&term goals and o,ecti%esin the urgent pursuit o! short&term imperati%es. Four days e!ore the Tamil 5adu udget !or 20

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/he art of schoolingA good pulic education produces citi1ens "ho thin/ !reely' sho" initiati%e and possess a3uestioning mind. That progressi%e idea is increasingly under threat !rom loyists !or mar/etdominance. -ut e%en these campaigners "ould e surprised at ,ri ,ri #avishan.ar7s &i'arrelogic for privatisation that students from government schools &ecome na"alites andta.e to violence. Foolish though they are' such assertions prop up the !alsehood thatgo%ernment&!unded education is a ghettoised ruin' "hile pri%ate sector institutions uni!ormly ma/ethe cut. Such a proposition is particularly o!!ensi%e ecause it stri/es at the heart o! the elatede!!ort y the Indian state to ma/e ta(&!unded elementary education !ree and accessile to allchildren as a right. The national goal is to rapidly e(pand 3uality education on an unprecedentedscale and reach out to the remotest parts. There is a role !or pri%ate schools in the o%erallscheme' as laid out in the approach paper o! the $lanning :ommission on the T"el!th $lan' ut itcan only e to top up a sound education system run y the state. *enuine thought leadershipmust' there!ore' d"ell on 3uestions such as impro%ing the s/ills o! 600'000 teachers in pulicschools "ho are o!!icially descried as untrained.

/he logic that pu&lic education as a s$stem is &elow par stems from the neoli&eral ideathat government wor.s less efficientl$ compared to private entities and even non!governmental organisations. It is unsurprising that Sri Sri Ra%ishan/ar8s 5*O tried to e(plaina"ay his contro%ersial remar/s on T"itter "ith the argument that it "as running ohit :haudhryEAnd "hat i! e(cess o! lo%e

-e"ildered them till they died)

+. -. Geats' Daster inister -eant Singh. Si(teen other persons died in the last. He "as arrested in #ecemer

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O! all those prosecuted in this case' -al"ant Singh alone con!essed his guilt. He re!used tocontest the prosecution8s charges' challenge its e%idence' engage a la"yer or accept a court&appointed la"yer. Instead' he spo/e !rom the doc/ and !rom the prison through statements to thecourts and letters to the ,udges. His story' as reproduced in the courts8 records' is e(tractedelo".

-al"ant Singh tied the elt containing the e(plosi%es on #ila"ar Singh "ho had lo"n himsel! up"hile /illing the chie! minister. He said his conscience "ould not permit him to deny his role in the/illing "hen #ila"ar and others had sacri!iced their li%es !or it. A $un,ai couplet in his hand"riting"as !ound y the police E>y comrades died in the hope that I render their pain into a song. I! I/eep 3uiet' their souls "ill not e at peace.

-al"ant Singh e(plained his actions. He descried the deep "ounds on the Si/h psyche causedy the despoiling o! the *olden Temple y the security !orces during Operation -lue Star. Hespo/e o! the pogrom !ollo"ing Indira *andhi8s assassination' "here Si/hs "ere urnt' mutilatedand le!t !or carrion' !uneral rites denied' "hen "omen "ere dishonoured' the youth emasculatedand homes urnt. He as/ed the :hie! ?ustice "ho "ere the terrorists those "ho did these acts orthose "ho de!ended the %ictims) He said human eings can !ight such in,ustice and oppressiononly y ecoming human oms and sacri!icing themsel%es. -al"ant Singh said the go%ernment

o! this country had /illed its o"n people. He said -eant Singh had licensed !a/e encounter/illings' aductions' and secret cremations "hich remained unpunished to date. -al"ant Singhsaid he did not regret his actions. He said the go%ernment had moc/ed Si/h sentiments yhonouring and promoting those that led this pogrom. He did not "ant to eg !or his li!e' and i! theconse3uence o! his reellion "as a death sentence' he "ould emrace it "illingly. -al"ant Singhre!used to appeal to the Supreme :ourt and instructed his !riends and !amily not to petition thego%ernment !or mercy. He also turned a"ay social' religious and political groups "anting topetition the go%ernment. He said he "anted to li%e "ith respect and dignity and i! the state"anted to /ill him' he "anted to die honouraly. -al"ant Singh has "ritten his "ill and donatedhis organs !or the use o! others.

:ommute the sentence

The State and :entral go%ernments ha%e po"ers to commute death sentences a!ter their ! inal,udicial con!irmation. This po"er' unli/e ,udicial po"er' is o! the "idest amplitude and un&circumscried' e(cept that its e(ercise must e ona !ide. Issues o!ten alien and irrele%ant tolegal ad,udication morality' pulic good' social and policy considerations are intrinsicallygermane to the e(ercise o! the go%ernment8s po"ers. These po"ers e(ist ecause in appropriatecases the strict re3uirements o! la" need to e tempered and departed !rom to reach a truly ,ustoutcome in the "idest sense o! the "ord. /he government7s powers to commute a deathsentence thus operate as a national conscience(

D%ery citi1en has a right to petition the go%ernment to commute any death sentence' since thestate8s po"er to ta/e li!e emanates !rom the people and e(ecutions are carried out in our name.

As one "ho opposes the death penalty on the grounds that the state should not ha%e the right tota/e li!e' it is irrele%ant "hether the condemned prisoner "ants to li%e or die. I there!ore petition

the go%ernment to commute -al"ant Singh8s death sentence.

Indeed' I !ind mysel! stric/en "ith paralysis in the !ace o! his compelling' courageous andprincipled position. Incriminating e%idence against accused persons is routinely challenged ythem in courts' e%en though many o! them are actually guilty. The staunchest political elie!s "iltunder the threat o! a death sentence or li!elong incarceration. -al"ant Singh8s courage'con%iction and honesty in the !ace o! this threat mar/ him as one apart. That his cause is not ourcause does not diminish our respect !or him or mitigate our collecti%e loss in the e%ent o! hise(ecution.

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-al"ant Singh8s re!usal or the reluctance o! any citi1en or organisation to petition the state !orcommutation does not preclude the state !rom suo moto re%ie"ing his case. The go%ernment isoliged to do so' !or it' and not the courts' ha%e the !inal "ord in such matters.

The use o! the death penalty in such cases is e(tremely prolematic and potentially di%isi%e.

-al"ant Singh8s case graphically illustrates a spiral o! %iolence' re%enge and reprisals. Further%iolence' aleit state&sanctioned' could e used to legitimise earlier %iolence and perpetuate thespiral. et us sho" that the ,ustice "e administer is not %ictor8s ,ustice ut one tempered yhumility' compassion and humanity.

The $un,a troules are ehind us no"' ut the ghosts still linger. In the name o! India8s territorialintegrity' the go%ernment used 3uestionale methods to put do"n the Khalistan mo%ement. +ille(ecuting -al"ant Singh do us credit) +hen' as a nation' "e ha%e condoned the go%ernment8se(cesses' can "e not no" reconcile "ith -al"ant Singh) Has not enough lood een shed) +ill"e remain silent in the !ace o! yet more lood&letting to a%enge an old !eud) O' "hen may itsu!!ice)

4The author is a la"yer practising in the -omay High :ourt.

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8 father7s long struggle for :ustice>eena >enonTahir +agle has !ought a relentless attle o%er uslim "itnesses "as unreliale. :alling it a ra1enco%er&up' the commission had strongly urged the go%ernment to ha%e the case in%estigated y animpartial agency and action ta/en against the guilty. Thirteen years a!ter the Sri/rishna:ommission report' >r. +agle !inally met "ith some success acting on a complaint !rom him' the>aharashtra State >inorities :ommission in 20umai policecommissioner on Septemer 20' 20

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/illing. Ho"e%er' a!ter this' the >umai police commissioner ordered another in3uiry into theincident and as/ed the Additional :ommissioner o! $olice' :entral region' @ineet Agar"al' tosumit a report. >r. Agar"al con!irmed this ut did not ans"er 3uestions on "hen he "as as/edto do so or i! there "as a time !rame to sumit his report.

>r. ?adha%' in his reply' "hich "as sent to >r. +agle on Feruary 2B y the >inorities

:ommission' states that Shahna"a1 "as shot during rioting and a case to this e!!ect "as !iledagainst him and B= others at the -yculla police station.

The case "as in%estigated and a charge sheet "as !iled on ?uly 2J' r. ?adha% says that in response to the Sri/rishna :ommission report' a special tas/ !orce 4STF"as !ormed in 2000 y the State go%ernment "hich rein%estigated all riot cases including that o!Shahna"a1. Inspector >.A. -aig !rom the STF e(amined =2 "itnesses and concluded that otherthan Gasmin +agle' no other "itness admitted to ha%ing seen Shahna"a1 shot dead y thepolice. He also !ound that no eye"itness had seen police constale Kishore >al/ar shootShahna"a1' as "as suspected y his !amily. He also pointed out that >al/ar had since passeda"ay. >r. -aig concluded that there "as no e%idence to sho" that the police had shot

Shahna"a1 at point&lan/ range as alleged y his !ather. He also said that the oy "as shot !romthe ac/ and there "as no lac/ening o! the s/in.

>r. -aig noted that Shahna"a1 died due to ! iring y one o! the eight police personnel and there"as no e%idence circumstantial or other"ise to register a case against anyone. 5o "itness couldidenti!y the policemen present on the day o! the incident. >r. +agle8s contention that his son "aspulled out o! his house and shot in the compound elo" "as neither noted y >r. -aig' nor "as itin%estigated. He had also named the policemen present.

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>r. ?adha% concludes on the asis o! >r. -aig8s !indings that >r. +agle8s contention "asseriously re&in%estigated and there "as no truth in it.

>r. +agle says he did try to !ile a complaint then ut the police /ept telling him his son "as arioter and did not register a case. The police called him only in August 200J "hen there "as acampaign to reopen riot cases to record a statement. 5othing came o! it. +hile >r. ?adha%8s

report has dampened his spirits' his hopes ha%e re%i%ed "ith the latest in3uiry ordered y thecommissioner o! police. Ho"e%er' going y the past record o! in%estigation' there is little room !oroptimism.

meenaMthehindu.co.in

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#, to focus on ,$ria% ran toda$Sandeep #i/shitOn Thursday morning' the strategic community around the "orld "ill e !ocussed on the outcomeo! the hour&long restricted meeting et"een the heads o! go%ernment o! -ra1il' Russia' India':hina and South A!rica 4-RI:S to see i! they can !orge an e!!ecti%e and common approach to

the prolems !acing Syria and Iran.

*raphic The -RI:S countries

Russia and :hina ha%e made it clear that they "ill press !or opposing any +est&led attempt to putthese countries under the threat o! inter%ention. -ut the stand o! the other three -RI:S memers"ill ha%e to e reconciled "ith that o! Russia and :hina. India opposes !oreign militaryinter%ention in principle ut has ro/en ran/s "ith the t"o y opting to %ote "ith the +est onSyria.

-ra1il under the ne" $resident' #ilma Rouse!!' imprisoned y an earlier military ,unta and "hose!ather as a :ommunist leader "as !orced to !lee -ulgaria to escape persecution' has turnedaround the country8s approach to human rights. -rasilia no" opposes any prolonged attempt y aregime to indulge in prolonged %iolence.

And South A!rica has tended to succum to hustling y the +est as happened last year "hen it"as in the nited 5ations Security :ouncil 45S: and inclined to side "ith other -RI:Scountries on iya. -ut sustained pressure !rom the +est ensured that South A!rica' along "ith5igeria' the other A!rican nation in the 5S: at that time' supported the +est.

On Iran' the +est is pressuring oth :hina and India on reducing oil imports !rom Tehran at atime "hen they are in no position to do so ecause o! mounting energy needs. -ut a commonposition on Iran "ill e easier to !ormulate a!ter the -RI:S Trade >inisters8 statement on thesummit e%e.

The >inisters "ere tact!ul ut le!t no dout "here their collecti%e sympathies lay. E+e respect.5. resolutions...at the same time the .5. resolution does not !orid countries to engage intrade in essential commodities and "hat is re3uired !or human goodN There!ore' "e loo/ atthings...in %ery pragmatic manner and remain "ithin the amit o! the .5. resolution'88 said:ommerce >inister Anand Sharma.

-ut on Syria' :hina "hich descries -RI:S as on the "ay to ecoming Ea ma,or po"er in theprocess o! solutions to the "orld8s political prolems' is reconciled to the leaders not concurringin entirety.

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Spea/ing to ,ournalists in -ei,ing last "ee/' i Ke(in' Foreign >inistry8s senior negotiator !or-RI:S' admitted that "hile the !i%e nations "anted a peace!ul >iddle Dast' they can ha%edi!!erent ideas on speci!ic approaches. EIt doesn8t matter. This is not a !ormal 5S: resolution.+e "ill e trying to !ind a common political ground on the Syrian issue' added >r. i.

-oth Syria and Iran assume importance e%en though they are essentially topical issues ecauseit "as only at the last summit that -RI:S introduced a political element y commenting on iya.

+hile India has o!!icially not said anything on its approach to Syria at the -RI:S summit' Russiahas e(pressed concern o%er E!oreign inter!erences in domestic a!!airs o! so%ereign countries.i/e :hina' it do"nplays its di!!erences o! approach "ith India.

EIt is a so%ereign decision o! India and "e respect that. -ut "e %etoed the Syria resolution in the5S:P ecause "e oppose outside imposition on any so%ereign country' said Russian

Amassador Ale(ander Kada/in.

E+e are "orried at the .S. and Israeli threats to use !orce against that country. A ne" "ar in theregion' already o%erurdened "ith armed con!licts and acute crises' "ill rapidly deteriorate the

situation in the %ast Asian region' "ill entail shoc/s in the oil mar/ets and' there!ore' in the entiregloal economy' he said.

The -RI:S summit is e(pected to sign t"o enaling agreements on setting up a de%elopmentan/ and local credit !acility.

ET"o agreements "ould e signed during the summit. These emanate !rom decisions ta/en in-rasilia. These are !rame"or/ agreements arri%ed a!ter an/s o! all !i%e countries met t"ice.These are enaling agreements su,ect to national la"s'said Sudhir @yas' Secretary 4DR in the>inistry o! D(ternal A!!airs.;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

8ma'on < to retrieve 8pollo 11 engines from ocean#$A

A team o! undersea searchers !unded y 8ma'on(com founder =eff e'os has located theroc/et engines that po"ered the manned trip to the moon in useum o! Airand Space in +ashington #: and that i! more "ere reco%ered he "ould as/ !or one to edisplayed in the >useum o! Flight in Seattle' "here Ama1on.com is ased.

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ace&oo. *< set for Ma$> 9,=#$AFaceoo/ "ill launch its long0a"aited I$O in >ay' the +all Street ?ournal reported on+ednesday.

The report coincided "ith a separate report on -loomerg 5e"s that the social net"or/ing gianthad ordered a suspension of trading of its shares on secondar$ e"changes( /he move waswidel$ seen as an effort &$ the compan$ to minimise volatilit$ in its shares &efore goingpu&lic.

Faceoo/ !iled papers "ith the Securities and D(change :ommission in Feruary to raise 7illion dollars y selling some shares to the pulic. Recent sales o! its shares on secondarymar/ets ha%e %alued the company at et"een = illion dollars and B illion dollars.

The company has roughly BC7 million acti%e users around the "orld' and made a pro!it o! around< illion dollars in 20

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>adras' *u,arat' Allahaad' >adhya $radesh' Andhra $radesh' Kerala' Karnata/a' ?ammu andKashmir and ?har/hand.

Though the $un,a and Haryana High :ourt is represented in the Supreme :ourt' there is norepresentation !or Haryana as such' and a igger High :ourt li/e the Allahaad High :ourt hasonly one representation.

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nside ndia7s defence acquisition mess$ra%een S"ami

D%en as armed !orces are eing called on to prepare !or a t"o&!ront "ar' they8re short o!e%erything !rom tan/s to helmets

ess than t"o years ago' #e!ence >inister A.K. Anthony directed the armed !orces to preparethemsel%es !or a nightmare scenario a t"o&!ront "ar "ith nuclear&armed $a/istan and :hina. Inthe years since' t"o ne" mountain di%isions and a third artillery di%ision ha%e een raised an airassault di%ision' t"o mountain di%isions' and an entire ne" corps are eing assemled.

In a lea/ed >arch inister >anmohan Singh' :hie! o! the Army Sta!! *eneral@.K. Singh has re%ealed a some"hat dar/er reality the artillery and tan/s that ma/e up theac/one o! these !ormations are near&de!unct and the air&de!ence systems protecting themosolescent.

*en. Singh8s letters ha%e pro%o/ed outrage and alarm ut re%eal little that Indian militarye(perts ha%en8t "ritten aout !or years. *en Singh made similar points in an earlier letter to >r.

Antony' "hich made it to ne"spaper !ront pages on >arch C. In pulic speeches' oth *en. Singhand >r. Antony ha%e pointed to the need !or change and yet' little has happened.:ase o! missing ho"it1er

India8s search !or a 155!millimetre howit'er to replace its ageing arsenal of ,wedish!made!)) ofors guns helps demonstrate multiple !actors that ha%e contriuted to the ma/ing o!the mess. First' the Army sought "eapons "ith characteristics that are no" "idely ac/no"ledgedto ha%e een unrealistic tenders "ere issued' "ithdra"n' and reissued a!ter multiple rounds o!tests.

/hen% in March% the government &lac.listed leading contenders ,ingapore /echnologies@inetics and #heinmetall 8ir +efence% for their alleged role in a 200A corruption scandal atthe government!run

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In case a!ter case' the story is much the same. The Army had planned to e3uip its 7 armouredregiments "ith inistry is no" assessing the claims o! #ussian!made @amov @a!226 andurocopter7s 8, 550' a!ter !resh tests.

In early 20* said that the 8rm$ had acquired :ust B420 million of equipmentsince 200)% compared with B6(16 &illion &$ the Eav$ and B1)(46 &illion &$ the 8ir orce(ven the oast ?uard had made acquisitions worth B616 million(

actionalism within the 8rm$% legal manoeuvres &$ defence firms% and d$sfunction in thedefence production s$stem ha%e all thus contriuted to the mess along' o! course' "ithoutright corruption. Fi(ing the crisis needs sustained commitment to re!orming India8s de!enceac3uisition system !rom root up not ,ust outrage or alarm.Inside India8s de!ence ac3uisitionmess

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entre sta$s e"ecution of #a:oana@inay KumarThree days e!ore his scheduled e(ecution in connection "ith /illing o! the former *un:a& hiefMinister% eant ,ingh% on 8ugust 31% 1AA5% alwant ,ingh #a:oana got relie! on +ednesday'"ith the nion go%ernment staying the capital punishment.

The nion Home >inistry' in a letter to the State *o%ernment' stated that the e(ecution o! CC&year&old Ra,oana has een stayed.

The decision came a!ter $un,a :hie! >inister $ar/ash Singh -adal met $resident $ratiha $atiland sumitted a mercy petition. The $resident8s o!!ice then sent it to the >inistry' o!!icial sourcessaid.

>r. -adal mounted last&minute e!!orts to get relie! !or Ra,oana as the LSingh Sahian8 4clergy o!the A/al Ta/hat decreed that the :hie! >inister meet the $resident and see/ clemency.

The petition "as made on ehal! o! the Shiromani *urd"ara $arandha/ :ommittee and theState go%ernment.

In August 200J' a special :-I court a"arded the death sentence to Ra,oana' "ho "as a policeconstale and top operati%e o! terror out!it -aar Khalsa International' and ?agtar SinghHa"ara.

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L#emocracy too is #ar"inian8#. -AAS-RA>A5IA5+e ha%e ,ust gone through a series o! success!ul elections in se%eral states o! India. This hasonce again sho"n to the "orld' and particularly to our o"n ruling politicians' that "e ta/edemocracy seriously' and elie%e in consensus&ased decisions. And all o! us are delighted thatthe people o! se%eral countries in the Ara "orld 4and >yanmar too ha%e the opportunity to %oteand practice democracy.

Is democracy a human in%ention' thought out y homo sapiens and practiced y us) +hat doother social animals do) Are there social practices in animal societies that ha%e an e%olutionaryorigin' handed do"n to us) The !ield o! socio&iology thro"s not only surprises at us ut alsoteaches us some lessons' as/ing us to e humle and appreciati%e o! many other animals ande%en insects li/e the honeyee "e admire and the coc/roach "e detest.

$ro!essor Ragha%endra *adag/ar o! the Indian Institute o! Science at -angalore is a "ell /no"nEeusociologist "ho speciali1es in insect group eha%iour o! "asps and ees. He recentlydescried to us ho" a colony o! "asps or ees organi1es itsel! and optimises resources. Hepoints out that "hile the colony has a 3ueen' "or/ers and drones' this is no monarchy. The 3ueen

does not proclaim "hat the colony should do. 4+e call her the 3ueen' rather anthropomorphically'since all she does is sit around and lay eggs' and is pampered y a retinue o! Lassistants8.

She too is ,ust a "or/er' a special type o! "or/er "hose ,o is ,ust to /eep on laying eggs. Thereare no palace intrigues' and she too can e' and is' o%erthro"n or displaced y another Legglaying machine8. +hen the colony is di%ided into t"o' the second 3ueen&less part ma/es its o"n3ueen.

The E3ueen is o! course more important than the a%erage "or/er' ut she is not a dictator "hose

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order the colony must oey. It is a group acti%ity' "ith each memer playing its role y commonagreement.

Ges' the coc/roach' the pest "hom "e "ant to smash to death the moment "e see it in the/itchen' too !orms a congenial society "ith consensual rules. #r. ?ose Halloy and his group at the#epartment o! Social Dcology at the Free ni%ersity o! -russels in -elgium has een studying

coc/roach colonies !or o%er a decade.

He has come to the conclusion that coc/roaches practice a simple !orm o! democracy. In itssociety' each insect has e3ual standing and decisions made y group o%erride those o!indi%iduals' and such group decisions go%ern "hat the entire group "ould do.

Ho" does one de%ise an e(periment to arri%e at such an important conclusion) Halloy8se(periment "as simple and decisi%e. He placed the group o! coc/roaches in a large dish that hadthree shelters.

The coc/roaches did much Econsultation among themsel%es y touching and proing each otherthrough their antennae' and a!ter such consultation' di%ided themsel%es into groups and ranto"ards the shelters' a"ay !rom the light 4recall they li/e dar/ and no light.

The surprise "as in the result. Dach shelter could hold 70 insects. Get "hen 70 coc/roaches "ereused in the e(periment' they di%ided themsel%es into t"o groups 27 "ent o!! to shelter < and27 to shelter 2' lea%ing shelter = %acant. +hen the researchers rought !ar larger shelters' eachhousing !ar more than 70' the coc/roaches !ormed a single group and all "ent into a singleshelter.

Halloy e(plained the results to mean that a alance is struc/ et"een cooperation andcompetition !or resources. *roup !ormation optimi1es this alance. As he says EIt allo"s them toincrease their reproducti%e opportunities' promotes sharing o! resources li/e shelter or !ood' andpre%ents desiccation y aggregating in dry en%ironments' etc.

>ammals also

Turning to mammals' "e do !ind democracy' or group decisions that go%ern the action o! theentire colony. $ro!essor arissa :onradt o! the ni%ersity o! Susse(' K' "ho has een studyingcolonies o! red deer' !inds that indi%iduals ene!it i! they synchroni1e their acti%ities andmo%ements' and they ha%e to decide such things collecti%ely.

It is in the interests o! the group memers to stay together' so that they reproduce more' optimi1eresources' detect and a%oid predators etter no di!!erent !rom coc/roaches)

>ore recently' #r. Frans de +aal o! the Ger/es $rimate :enter at Dmory ni%ersity' *eorgia'.S.' !inds increasing e%idence !or similar group decisions and eha%iour in chimpan1ee societiestoo. In his !orthcoming oo/ Echimpan1ee politics' he descries ho" an Ealpha male spends a lot

o! time grooming allies' sharing !ood "ith them and /eeping them on his side. Such consensusuilders !orm more stale social structures and ma/e group consensus decisions. +ould this ethe eginning o! group politics' I "onder

:onradt and Roper descrie' in their paper E#emocracy in animals the e%olution o! shared groupdecisions 4$roceedings o! the Royal Society - 200J' 2JC 2=

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This in%ol%es consensus Ecosts' ut e3ually shared decisions result in lo"ered consensus coststhan unshared decisions. Is this not "hat democracy is aout) As "e study insects' !ishes andmammals' "e see the e%olution o! cooperati%e and consultati%e eha%iour in many such animalcolonies and societies' "here the memers choose to !orego some pri%ileges and ear somecosts in order to promote harmony' sur%i%al and !lourishing o! the group&democracy in action.

dalaMl%pei.org

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8rm$ hief7s lea.ed letter to *M puts entre in a fi"Smita *uptaHours a!ter the contents o! a letter "ritten y *eneral @.K. Singh to $rime >inister >anmohanSingh on the lac/ o! de!ence preparedness appeared in a national daily on +ednesday' adding ane" dimension to the ongoing contro%ersy spar/ed y an e(plosi%e inter%ie" the Army :hie!ga%e this ne"spaper' #e!ence >inister A.K. Antony assured $arliament that the go%ernment "ascommitted to ensuring the sa!ety and security o! the nation.

And e%en as some parties denounced the Army :hie!' demanding his dismissal and an in3uiry

into "ho had lea/ed the letter' the go%ernment "ent into damage&control mode the $rime>inister "ho returned late Tuesday night !rom South Korea "ent into a huddle "ith Finance>inister $rana >u/her,ee' Home >inister $. :hidamaram and >r. Antony to discuss thego%ernment8s limited options.

The go%ernment can grin and ear it until the *eneral demits o!!ice at >ay&end. Or it can as/ himto go on !orced lea%e and ris/ damaging the o!!ice o! Army :hie!.

The letter may ha%e painted a grim picture ut' sources say' it is the practice for service chiefsto write to the *rime Minister% shortl$ &efore the$ retire% on the state of the fighting armthe$ head. This letter is also similar to the one *en. Singh "rote to >r. Antony last month. Thattoo appeared in a ne"spaper and contains much o! "hat the Army had shared "ith the #e!ence>inistry and the 5ational Security :ouncil last year.

Those close to the *eneral "ho "as in Kashmir on +ednesday deny that the letter "aslea/ed !rom his o!!ice' stressing he had nothing to gain y its contents eing made pulic. The>arch

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>ean"hile' it ecame clear that till such time as it is /no"n "ho lea/ed the letter' the Army :hie!"ill remain in the doc/. The Sama,"adi $arty' the ?anata #al 4nited and the Rashtriya ?anata#al %oci!erously demanded that he e sac/ed. The -haratiya ?anata $arty distanced itsel! !romthis demand' ut it "as no longer as sympathetic to the Army :hie! it appeared to e gradually%eering round to the %ie" that he had crossed the a/shman Re/ha. E+hy did the Army :hie! notmeet the $rime >inister and personally rie! him' as/ed eader o! the Opposition in the o/Saha Sushma S"ara,. EThe decision to "rite a letter is al"ays !raught "ith the possiility' e%en i!one per cent' that it may e lea/ed at some point in timeN +hen the common man reads that thede!ence !orces ha%e no ammunition and cannot de!end the country he !inds it scary. The onlyconcession she "as "illing to gi%e him "as that perhaps his decision to "rite such a letter "as are!lection o! the complete rea/do"n o! communication et"een the Army :hie! and thego%ernment. -ut despite the gro"ing unease o%er *en. Singh8s pulic statements' the -?$ is notready to see/ any action against him. Ho"e%er' it has gi%en notice !or suspension o! 3uestionhour in the o/ Saha to discuss the su,ect that did not happen on +ednesday as the House"as plunged into turmoil on the Telangana issue.

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9h$ was government sitting on hullar7s merc$ plea% as.s court

?. @en/atesan:ourts ha%e decided crores o! cases since Independence ut $resident has to decide only =00&odd pleas ,udge

The :entre on Tuesday ,usti!ied the $resident8s decision to re,ect the mercy petition o! death ro"con%ict #e%inder $al Singh -hullar' "ho "ants his sentence commuted to li!e imprisonment ongrounds o! Einordinate delay in carrying it out.

8dditional ,olicitor!?eneral arin #aval told the ,upreme ourt> F/he discretion% vi'(whether to grant clemenc$ or not% rests with the highest constitutional functionar$% not asmall!time officer( /he court cannot issue a mandamus to the *resident(G

+hen ?ustice *.S. Singh%i as/ed him to e(plain the inistry' !or his comments. I! court delays can ha%e immunity'"hy not go%ernment delay)

Annoyed at this sumission' ?ustice Singh%i 3uestioned the go%ernment8s commitment to the,udiciary and allocation o! !unds !or dealing "ith the e(plosion o! cases. :ourts had decidedcrores o! cases since Independence' ut the $resident had to decide only =00&odd mercy pleas'the ,udge said.

>r. Ra%al' ho"e%er' insisted that the $resident had ta/en a call on -hullar8s plea a!ter goingthrough material on his innocence or guilt' prompting the other ,udge on the -ench' ?ustice S.?.>u/hopadhaya' to oser%e F/hese are factors to &e ta.en into account during conviction%

not at the stage of merc$ plea(G

hullar% convicted for his role in the &lasts targeting ongress leader Maninder:it ,inghitta% sent his mercy petition to the $resident8s o!!ice on ?anuary

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dacoits ha%e re!ormed. $hoolan #e%i re!ormed' she ecame a memer o! $arliament. AP hugeelement o! su,ecti%ity is in%ol%ed in the decision to ta/e a"ay the iggest gi!t o! nature humanli!e. The chart sho"s that some years' the pendulum s"ung to one e(treme' in others' it s"ung tothe other e(treme and some years it remained static. This too y the top constitutional!unctionary' the ,udge said.

?ustice Singh%i also "anted to /no" "hy -hullar8s medical report' "ho is allegedly su!!ering !rompsychiatric illness' "as not sumitted to the $resident y the :entre at the time o! its !or"ardinghis mercy plea.

D%en i! the court "ere to e(plain a"ay the initial delay during the years o! terrorism in $un,a'"hat "as the go%ernment doing !rom 2007 to 20adras High :ourt and the Supreme :ourt.

She had also !iled a "rit petition in the Supreme :ourt in 200J praying !or a direction to theTuticorin $ort Trust and the nion o! India' >inistry o! :ulture' to declare Adam8s -ridgeRamSetu as a national monument and ta/e o%er' preser%e and maintain it.

-esides' it "as appealed to the court to pre%ent the nion o! India' >inistry o! ShippingSur!aceTransport and Sethusamudram :orporation td !rom destroyingdamaging the Ram Setu in theprocess o! the e(ecution o! the pro,ect.

In the meantime' an e"pert committee under #(@( *achauri was appointed &$ the Cniongovernment in 200- &ased on the directions from the ,upreme ourt. A summary o! thepanel8s report had een !or"arded to the State go%ernment !or its remar/s.

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EI ha%e had the report o! the e(pert committee e(amined y the departments concerned o! mygo%ernment and a letter is eing sent separately to the >inistry o! Shipping communicating the%ie"s o! the State go%ernment.

>s. ?ayalalithaa said that the case came up !or hearing e!ore the Supreme :ourt on Tuesday

4>arch 2J and the ,udges directed the Additional Solicitor *eneral to otain the remar/s o! the:entre e!ore >arch 2 on declaring the site as a national monument.

EIn %ie" o! the strong o,ection raised to the earlier alignmentN I re3uest you to ta/e necessaryaction to communicate the %ie" o! the *o%ernment o! India to the Supreme :ourt that it "ill ta/eimmediate steps !or declaring the site as a national monument "ithout !urther delay. The Statego%ernment "ill separately e !iling a counter to e(press its stand.

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F*resident7s visits underta.en after careful appraisalGSpecial :orrespondent$resident $ratiha $atil8s %isits aroad are underta/en a!ter care!ul appraisal and

recommendation y the >inistry o! D(ternal A!!airs and the $rime >inister8s O!!ice' the$resident8s o!!ice said on Tuesday. The comparison o! !oreign %isits underta/en y %arious$residents "as' there!ore' misleading' it said.

The clari!ication comes in the "a/e o! the reports on >s. $atil8s !oreign trips' ased onin!ormation otained through an RTI application.

>s. $atil' "hose term ends in ?uly' is said to ha%e underta/en ongolia. Some o! the countries"hich $resident $atil %isited' such as Syria' Ta,i/istan and Spain sa" the !irst&e%er %isit y anIndian $resident.

:omparison o! the numer o! !oreign %isits underta/en y %arious $residents "as potentiallymisleading as the !re3uencies o! such %isits did not !ollo" a !i(ed normati%e pattern. Such %isits"ere underta/en on the asis o! standing in%itations !rom countries aroad and a!ter the need tounderta/e such a %isit "as appraised and recommended y the >inistry o! D(ternal A!!airs andthe $rime >inister8s O!!ice' her o!!ice said.

O! the !ormer $residents' Adul Kalam %isited

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#, nations sa$ the$ won7t sever ties with ranSu,ay >ehdudiaThe -RI:S nations on +ednesday refused to sever their trade relations with ran' stating thatthey "ere not oliged to !ollo" nuclear sanctions imposed y the nited States or the Duropeannion against Tehran.

This "as one o! the ma,or issues that came up !or discussion during the meeting o! the -ra1il'Russia' India' :hina and South A!rica 4-RI:S Trade >inisters eing held in 5e" #elhi' a dayahead o! the -RI:S summit. EGes' this "as discussed. 8ll #, mem&ers are mem&ers ofthe CE, ICnited Eations ,ecurit$ ouncilJ( +e respect .5. resolutions ut at the same timethe resolution does not for&id countries to engage in trade in essential commodities andwhat is required for human good' :ommerce and Industry >inister Anand Sharma said duringa ,oint press con!erence addressed y the -RI:S Trade >inisters.

:hina8s Trade and :ommerce >inister :hen #eming said his country "as not o&liged to followthe domestic laws and rules of an$ particular countr$. He said the rising crude oil prices hadle!t a negati%e impact on the -RI:S nations as "ell as the gloal economy.

L$ragmatic %ie"8

>r. Sharma said Iran "as an important source o! energy. ESpiralling oil prices ha%e put stress onIndia8s !inances. There!ore' "e loo/ at things in a %ery pragmatic manner and remaining "ithinthe amit o! the .5. resolution' he said. India imports

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The -RI:S memers also raised concerns o%er the impact o! rising crude oil prices in the "a/eo! sanctions eing imposed y Durope and the .S. on Iran.

ERise 4in price o! crude oil has impacted all countries. The Iran issue has ecome an issue !or all.+e need to continue "ith normal relations "ith Iran' ut' at the same time' "e respect 5resolution. +e hope that unilateral mo%ement y one country "ill not a!!ect other countries' >r.

#eming said.

>r. Sharma said that due to volatilit$ in oil prices% ndia7s trade &alance was widening andhurting the econom$. EOur trade account is stressed primarily ecause o! oil and gold imports'he said.

On the proposed de%elopment an/ y -RI:S nations' -ra1ilian #e%elopment' Industry andForeign Trade >inister Fernando $imentel said the country "ould support the proposal tomorro"ThursdayP to !asten the process.

EThis is a po"er!ul tool. :reating such a tool may e a ma,or support to o%ercome the D crisis'he said.

#e%elopment an/s o! -RI:S nations are in ad%anced stage o! reaching a pact !or e(tendingcross&country credit in local currencies o! memer&nations. :ommenting on trade among -RI:Snations' South A!rican Trade and Industry >inister Ro #a%ies said that there "as a hugepotential to increase trade among memer&nations.

EIt is not ,ust go%ernment8s e!!ort "hich "ill help increase trade. The usiness community o!-RI:S needs to come closer' he said. 8t present% intra!regional trade of #, stood atB230 &illion(

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as$ norms for foreign equit$ &u$ingSpecial :orrespondentShare :omment print TUShare

The Reser%e -an/ o! India 4R-I' on +ednesday' allowed ndian residents to acquire sharesof a foreign entit$ &$ wa$ of qualification shares% professional services rendered and,

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It has een decided that the proposals !rom the Indian party !or creating charge in the !orm o!pledge V mortgage V hypothecation on the immo%ale V mo%ale property and other !inancialassets o! the Indian party and their group companies may e considered y the R-I under theappro%al route "ithin the o%erall limit !i(ed 4no" C00 per cent !or !inancial commitment.

It has also een decided that the &an. guarantee issued &$ a resident &an. on &ehalf of an

overseas :oint venture =DK wholl$!owned su&sidiar$ 9