LIST OF NEWSPAPERS COVERED

ASIAN AGE

BUSINESS LINE

BUSINESS STANDARD

DECCAN HERALD

ECONOMIC TIMES

HINDU

HINDUSTAN TIMES

INDIAN EXPRESS

STATESMAN

TIMES OF INDIA

TRIBUNE

1

CONTENTS

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT 3

CIVIL AVIATION 4-6

CIVIL SERVICE 7-11

CORRUPTION 12

DEFENCE, NATIONAL 13-14

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENN 15-17

EDUCATION 18-25

ELECTIONS 26

ENVIRONMENT 27

GOVERNORS 28-29

INTERNET 30

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 31-33

PARLIAMENT 34-36

POVERTY 37-39

RAILWAYS 40-42

RURAL DEVELOPMENT 43-45

TAXATION 46-49

TERRORISM 50-52

TRANSPORT 53-54

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 55

WATER SUPPLY 56-58

WOMEN 59-61

2

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

STATESMAN, FEB 9, 2016PM likely to take stock of HRD ministry's functioning

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take stock of the functioning of the HRD ministry, especially in higher education sector, later this month.

While a range of issues relating to the path ahead for the higher education sector would be discussed, it is also understood that matters pertaining to Central Universities also come up.The meeting comes a month after the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in the Hyderabad Central University triggered an uproar across the country and opposition parties attacked the government over it.

The HRD ministry has in recent times launched several ambitious initiatives in higher education sector including working towards a National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), a GIAN programme for attracting foreign faculty and is also working to set up six new IITs.

ASIAN AGE, FEB 11, 2016PMO tells all ministries to counter ‘negative’ image Nitin Mahajan  PIB to send daily ‘action taken’ information

In a bid to spruce up the government’s image, the PMO has sought daily feedback from all ministries on action being taken on “negative” reports appearing in the media.

The PMO wants the ministries to reveal if the “negative” media stories are factually correct or not, and if true what remedial measures have been taken by them. This is the first time such a step has been initiated by the government and it has made the information and broadcasting ministry the nodal point to interact with all ministries on this issue.

The Press Information Bureau has been given this task, and it is learnt I&B secretary Sunil Arora is personally monitoring the assignment.

Soon after being sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started keeping close tabs on the “negative” media stories about his government.

However, sources said, this is the first time that ministries have been asked to submit compliance reports on the action taken about the negative news stories in the media. The PIB is now sending a daily bulletin to the PMO on the stories in the national media.The response of each affected ministry is also included in this bulletin.

3

CIVIL AVIATION

HINDUSTAN TIMES, FEB 10, 2016Air India to dock salaries of pilots refusing to fly at 11th hourTushar Srivastava

National carrier Air India (AI) has decided to dock salaries of pilots who pull out of flights for which they are rostered for at the eleventh hour.

According to the new pay structure cleared by the government, if a pilot refuses to operate a flight, which he has been rostered for, he would be liable for reduction of double flight hours from his flying allowance.

The new pay structure, as first reported by HT on January 16, includes stiff penalty clauses and requires pilots to fly a minimum 40 hours a month to be entitled to their monthly salary.

In the event of refusal four hours prior to the departure, double the number of hours will be deducted for the scheduled flight of up to six hours. “For flights more than six hours, a flat deduction of 14 hours will be made from the guaranteed flying allowance,” says the government order. “The guaranteed hour will be payable only if the pilot has made himself available for flying duties for 150 days in a period of six months. Further, the guaranteed 70 hours will be payable only if the actual flying is more than 40 hours.”

“These steps will help instil the much-needed discipline in the airline. It would also help cut down delays and improve AI’s on-time performance,” said aviation expert Subhash Goyal.

Pilots can be told about roster changes through SMS, telephone, WhatsApp, email, said the new salary order. “Non-acceptance of change of flight communicated will amount to refusal of the flight. Non-acknowledgement will also be taken as refusal of the flight,” the order added.

“This move was necessitated as there had been cases where pilots would not take calls on their mobiles. So it had become a real problem to convey the flight schedule to some of them,” said a senior AI official.

The new salary order, which was implemented from January 1, 2016, also brings to an end the acrimonious issue of “pay parity” between the erstwhile Indian Airlines (AI) and Air India pilots.

4

According to the order, all pilots irrespective of the aircraft they fly will get a fixed monthly salary for 70 hours of flying.

“CMD Ashwani Lohani has started delivering on his promises. A uniform pay structure was much needed,” Goyal said.

While salaries of erstwhile IA pilots will go up, those of AI will take a hit even as the total pilot wage bill of around Rs 1,000 crore will increase by about `60 crore.

DECCAN HERALD, FEB 9, 2016Flying from Delhi to get cheaper from May 1

Flying out from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital will soon become cheaper, with regulator AERA directing the airport operator to discontinue levying development fee from May 1.

Currently, a domestic passenger boarding a plane from IGIA has to shell out Rs 100 per flight towards Development Fee (DF) while the amount is Rs 600 for international flyers.

Citing the average monthly collection of Rs 30 crore as DF, the regulator said the total sanctioned DF amount of Rs 3,415.35 crore is likely to be recovered by April 30, 2016.

"The DF of Rs 100 per embarking domestic passenger and Rs 600 per embarking international passenger... at IGI Airport shall be continued only till April 30, 2016," Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) said.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is operated by Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL), which is a joint venture between GMR group, Airports Authority of India and Germany's Fraport AG.

The regulator had earlier allowed DIAL to levy DF through an order issued in December 2012.

"Keeping in view the average monthly collection of Rs 30 crore, the balance DF is likely to be recovered by April 30, 2016 after taking into account the dues recoverable from airlines," AERA said in a six-page order, dated January 25.

At the end of December 2015, the DF amount to be recovered from passengers stood at around Rs 121.48 crore. This included Rs 30.59 crore to be paid for ATC/CNS (Air Traffic Control/Communication, Navigation and Surveillance) on expenditure basis.

To cover the financial gap in developing the project, the allowable DF was determined at Rs 3,415.35 crore.

5

According to the order, the DF contribution by passengers till April 30 would be accounted by raising bills based on passengers' contribution details in airlines manifesto."DIAL/AAI shall take steps to collect the amounts due and the interest on belated payments from the airlines till all the outstanding receivables are realised," it added.

When contacted, a DIAL spokesperson said, "The decision is in line with the original AERA approved timeline. In the said order. AERA has also given six months time, post April 2016, to reconcile and address over/under recovery of Development Fee to settle the approved amount of DF."

Based on AAI's report, the regulator would review and decide on the treatment of over-recovery or under-recovery of DF. 

6

CIVIL SERVICE

ECONOMIC TIMES, FEB 12, 2016Finance Secretary Ratan Watal gets two month extension

NEW DELHI: With the Budgetmaking process under way, government today extended the term of Finance Secretary Ratan Watal by two months till April 30. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved "extension in service to Ratan P Watal, Finance Secretary and Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance for a period of two months up to April 30, 2016," said a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order. Watal was due for retirement on February 29, 2016. Traditionally, the seniormost bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry is named Finance Secretary. Watal, 60, is a 1978batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer and has been holding the charge of Finance Secretary since August last year. The government has already started formulating Budget for 201617 which is to be tabled in Parliament on February 29. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Budget team comprises Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya. The official team is led by Watal, DEA Secretary Shaktikanta Das, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Disinvestment Secretary Neeraj Kumar Gupta. Stay on top of business news with The Economic Times App. Download it Now!

TRIBUNE , FEB 11, 2016Jammu Kashmir: Now, Aadhaar-based biometric attendance must to draw salaryTo ensure efficiency in offices

The government officers and officials will be paid salary from March onwards only if they have enrolled themselves for the Aadhaar-based biometric system

This is being done to ensure punctuality in the government offices and establishments and to promote transparency and efficiency in the government system

The authorities today announced that the government officers and officials would be paid salary from March onwards only if they have enrolled themselves for the Aadhaar-based biometric system.

The order followed the February 7 decision of the State Administrative Council that all government offices in Jammu and Kashmir would have Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system in position by March 31 this year. The council was constituted by Governor NN Vohra on February 4.

7

The authorities, while issuing the detailed guidelines, said it was being done “to ensure punctuality in the government offices and establishments, hassle-free and leakage-free distribution of benefits to various sections of the public and to promote transparency and efficiency in the government system.”

“No salary or wages would be drawn in favour of the government employees of any category from March 2016 onwards unless they have enrolled themselves in the Aadhaar-based biometric system. It applies also to the public-sector undertaking employees, contractual, consolidated, casual workers or any other type of persons drawing wages in any form from the public exchequer,” said a General Administration Department (GAD) order.

It said it would be the duty of the Drawing and Disbursing Officers concerned to ensure enrolment in the system before March 31 and furnish a certificate for it along with the salary or wage bill presented in the Treasury, without which the treasury officers are directed not to entertain any salary or wage bill.

“From April 1 onwards, the marking of attendance in the system would be compulsory for all categories of employees and wage earners,” the order said.

The order also covered pensioners of the state, saying: “All pensioners are also required to enrol themselves by obtaining the Aadhaar number by March 31 as this would help them to digitally identify themselves in future at the nearest common service centre, Khidmat Centre or any other place having the system installed. They would not be required to physically present themselves before the prescribed authorities to prove that they are alive. This initiative is being undertaken as part of the Jeevan Parnam Scheme.”

The order said all persons drawing benefits like old-age pension, widow pension, student scholarship, stipend, honorarium, wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or any other similar cash benefits from the government would need to enrol themselves in the Aadhaar-based biometric system initially and mark their continued eligibility, periodically, as decided by the department concerned by presenting and marking before the authority concerned.

“The departmental officers concerned will be responsible for getting enrolled all such beneficiaries in the system for their identification, without which they would not draw any benefit after April 1,” it said, adding that all administrative secretaries, heads of the departments and the Deputy Commissioners will be responsible for compliance of the instructions.

8

BUSINESS LINE, FEB 10, 2016Central govt employees plan strike from April 11

The National Joint Council of Action (NJCA), a body representing 32 lakh Central government employees, in its meeting earlier on Monday decided to proceed on an indefinite strike from 6 am on April 11, if their charter of demands was not resolved.

Stating this in a release, Convener of National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) Shiva Gopal Mishra, said that the notice for the strike will be served to the respective employers on March 11 by holding huge rallies, demonstrations. The decision is subject to outcome of the result of strike ballot for railways and ordinance factories as they are industrial units, which will be held on February 11.

The total number of employees under Railways and ordinance factories is about 15 lakh, shared Shiva Gopal Mishra. The charter of demands includes improving minimum wage of Rs. 18,000 and multiplying factor, rejecting all the retrograde recommendations of the VII Central Pay Commission (CPC). Scrap National Pension Scheme (NPS) and restore Old Pension Scheme for all those appointed on or after January 1, 2004. It also calls for scrapping the report of the Bibek Debroy committee and implementing positive recommendations of the DP Tripathi Committee, which had recommendations on motormen.

The charter demands the re-call of the notification issued by the Centre on August 22, 2014 in the matter of 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in construction, operation and maintenance of Indian Railways.

It has also called for scrapping all the agreements entered with the foreign or national companies in detriment to the interest of the Indian Railways and the country as a whole.

(This article was published in the Business Line print edition dated February 10, 2016)

TRIBUNE, FEB 8, 2016Jammu KashmirAadhaar-based attendance for government offices by March 31Governor NN Vohra for timely finalisation of SRO-43 cases

OTHER MAJOR DECISIONSAdministrative secretaries, office heads to devote an hour on all working days for hearing public grievances, ensuring timely redress

Monitoring and concurrent evaluation, including third party evaluation, of development works in closing months of the financial year; ADDCs to monitor development works in all districts

Aadhaar enrolment to be completed in all respects by March 31

9

All office heads to ensure maintenance of proper cleanliness in government officesFramework to be devised to recognise merit and good work for suitably rewarding functionaries at all levels of governance

Good officers and officials, particularly at the cutting age level, should be identified and groomed to hold higher responsibilities by enabling them to undergo relevant training programmes within and outside country

Special focus on solid waste management and garbage disposal; action plan for road safety, development of nurseries within state for development of high density apple plantations

In a major decision, the State Administrative Council today announced that all government offices in Jammu and Kashmir would have an Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system by March 31.

The council met under the chairmanship of Governor NN Vohra for the first time after its constitution on February 4 at Raj Bhawan here.

It decided that all administrative secretaries would personally monitor the implementation of all state plan and centrally sponsored schemes with special focus on flagship schemes of the Government of India.

Keeping in view the ensuing closure of the financial year, the secretaries would ensure timely utilisation of funds available under various schemes.

They would ensure that utilisation certificates were timely forwarded to central authorities concerned. This would facilitate timely release of central scheme funding in the next financial year, the council decided.

It decided that the secretaries and department heads would undertake physical and financial monitoring of various programmes and the work being implemented on the ground.

The meeting was attended by Parvez Dewan and Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, Advisers to the Governor; BR Sharma, Chief Secretary; and BB Vyas, Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development Department.

10

The Governor stressed the need to ensure punctuality and discipline in attending office by government functionaries and proper functioning of institutions, including schools, colleges, hospitals and ration shops.

“High priority must be given to ensuring that offices and institutions which are concerned with the delivery of public services run honestly and efficiently,” he said.

The council decided that the two Advisers and the Chief Secretary would identify all priority issues pending for decision and bring those before future meetings of the council.

The Governor stressed on the Advisers, Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner to advise all administrative secretaries to pay attention to various issues requiring policy decisions and ensure timely processing for approval.

“Special emphasis will be laid on timely finalisation of SRO-43 cases and the basis of the policy underlying this order would be reviewed to identify if any other or supplementary approaches can be followed to meet the objective of compassionate support in all such cases,” the Governor said.

The SRO-43 is a scheme to provide immediate succour to the next of the kin of the deceased and mitigate hardships caused to the family due to loss of breadwinner.

The council said all necessary measures would be timely finalised for the conduct of elections to local bodies and panchayats.

It was decided that systematic attention would be given to ensure proper maintenance of official record and time-bound listing and digitalisation.

The Governor laid emphasis on timely dissemination and issuance of early warning being made by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment and the Indian Meteorological Department to people with regard to any extreme weather events.

The Governor stated that Divisional Commissioners, Inspector Generals of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police should remain alert and prepared to meet any emerging disaster situation.

11

CORRUPTION

STATESMAN, FEB 12, 2016Protecting the corrupt

The 2 February Tamil Nadu Government Order issued by the Chief Secretary after revoking three earlier GOs which stipulates that the government’s sanction is necessary for prosecuting all officials of the state government irrespective of their rank and position under the Prevention of Corruption Act shields the corrupt. Until this order, government sanction was necessary for a preliminary inquiry or registration of a regular case only against All-India Services officers. Having developed a system of paying voters handsomely for their votes, the ruling party attracts the charge of encouraging government officials to collect illegal gratification for every service rendered in the State, and using them to swell its election coffers which run into thousands of crore rupees. Protecting the officials is a dangerous trend and must be stopped unless Tamil Nadu wants to join the ranks of failed states that offer unparalleled economic opportunities to a privileged few at the cost of the many. Towards that end the government has caused the Chief Secretary to issue the impugned GO which lacks validity. An advocate has already filed a contempt petition in the Madras High Court against the Chief Secretary. In the case of Subramanian Swamy vs the CBI Director, the Supreme Court in 2014 held that Section 6A(1) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was unconstitutional and that the establishment required approval of the Union government to conduct an inquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act only by officers of the level of joint secretary and above.

The Tamil Nadu order makes it obligatory for a complaint of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act against any public servant irrespective of rank to be vetted by the Vigilance Directorate and Vigilance Commission before the government orders an inquiry. The order does not discriminate between groups of employees on grounds of rank. While the Supreme Court had given vigilance agencies including the CBI absolute freedom to proceed with complaints of corruption against employees below the rank of joint secretary, Tamil Nadu has done exactly the opposite. It cramps the freedom of an already weak Vigilance Directorate. Under the new dispensation every complaint of corruption has to go through three stages, the Vigilance Directorate, Vigilance Commission and the department of the employee. The GO does not spell out what course to follow if there is disagreement on the recommendation in respect of a complaint between the two vigilance agencies and the department. Since the ultimate authority to sanction prosecution of a government official rests in the government itself, the corrupt need not fear the court of law.

12

DEFENCE, NATIONAL

DECCAN HERALD, FEB 8, 2016First instalment of OROP by March end

Retired military personnel can expect to receive their first tranche of enhanced pension as per the government’s new one-rank-one-pension (OROP) scheme before March 31, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Sunday.

“Arrears would be paid in four instalments in every quarter. The first instalment, which will cost about Rs 3,700 crore in total, would be given before March 31,” Parrikar said here on the sidelines of the International Fleet Review, 2016.

The family pensioners and recipients of gallantry awards will be paid their arrears in one instalment.  Almost 18 lakh retired soldiers and several lakhs of widows are expected to benefit from the new pension package.

As the scheme is being implemented from July 1, 2014, total arrears up to December 31, 2015 would be in the tune of Rs 10,980 crore. The government issued pension calculation tables for each rank earlier this month.

According to the Defence Ministry’s calculation, implementing the OROP scheme would cost the exchequer Rs 7,483 crore every year.

“It is 15 times more than what the UPA government had provided in its budget (Rs 500 crore). OROP was a promise of the BJP and the prime minister. To the best of my understanding, we fulfilled it after 43 years,” he said.

A section of the ex-servicemen, who were agitating against the government’s version of the OROP, however, rejected the tables and threatened to exercise legal action.

“We unanimously reject the tables as it does not remove any of the anomalies pointed out by the ex-servicemen. It short charges widows, battle casualties and the ranks of havildar, subedar and subedar major,” said Col Anil Kaul (rtd), one of the veterans protesting against the OROP.On the protests, Parrikar said these were minor issues raised by few people from the retired community, who can have a dialogue with the government to resolve them.

As much as 86 per cent of the total expenditure on account of OROP will benefit the junior commissioner officers and other ranks, said a Defence Ministry spokesperson.

The total increase in the defence budget for pensions is estimated to go up from Rs 54,000 crore (budgetary estimate 2015-16) to around Rs 65,000 crore (proposed in 2016-17), thereby increasing the defence pension outlay by about 20 per cent.

13

Asked about the anomalies in the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, Parrikar said he met the Service Chiefs and sought a report analysing the concerns, which would be addressed.  

One of the key concerns of the military is lowering of the hardship allowance as the Seventh Pay Commission recommended higher “risk allowance” for IAS and IPS officers posted in Guwahati than the Army officers posted in Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.

ASIAN AGE, FEN 8, 2016Pakistan Army set to raise new security division, 28 battalions

The Pakistan Army plans to raise a new security division as well as additional 28 battalions and has sought extra funds from the government for it, amid increasing terror attacks on the educational institutions in the country.Top Army officials on Saturday met finance minister Ishaq Dar and demanded “financing and the release of funds”, Dawn reported, citing a statement issued by the finance ministry.

The “government attaches the highest importance to security matters” and assured the “provision of funds for the new security division and additional battalions,” Mr Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.The Army launched a massive military operation in 2014 against Taliban militants who are blamed for brazen attacks on government and military installations.

Since then, the military has claimed to kill thousands of militants in air raids in the north and through intelligence-based operations in various parts of the country.

Despite the military crackdown, the Taliban militants continued their attacks, targeting public places and educational institutions.

The militants attacked Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in January, killing 21 people, including 19 students, in an attack that bore resemblance to the brazen December 2014 assault on an Army-run school in Peshawar that killed 144, mostly students.

14

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

STATESMAN, FEB 15, 2016The fourth revolutionArunabha Bagchi

The fourth industrial revolution was the theme of this year at the annual World Economic Forum, the end of January jamboree at the picturesque Swiss ski resort of Davos. This gathering of the world’s super rich and extremely powerful is dedicated to solving all problems on our planet. I thought that this was only the prerogative of Bengali addas, before Davos captured the attention of the world media. The theme this year comes directly from the title of a new book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, written by Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. In this book, he argues that we are at the threshold of a new revolution, where new technologies are combining physical, digital and biological systems, the “bio-nano” world as fancifully talked about in my academic circles, which are going to change the world around us.

The world saw its first industrial revolution with the advent of steam power towards the end of the century. The resulting disruption in the economic and social life of Europeans, where it all happened, was mind-boggling. The second revolution around electric power and internal combustion engine really took off at the end of the 19th century. With the discovery of superconductors and the resulting growth of computer technology, first with mainframe and then with personal computers, brought in the third “digital” revolution from the mid-seventies of the last century. Now we are hearing about the fourth industrial revolution that is right around the corner, propelled by innovations in driverless cars, smart robotics, lighter and tougher materials, manufacturing based on 3D printing and new medicines made possible by the fusion of nano-technology and genetic engineering.

Economists become exuberant when writing about Schumpeter’s idea of ‘creative destruction.’ The first two industrial revolutions increased the welfare of the common people in the West dramatically, despite huge societal dislocations and short-term economic hardship. The first revolution released underused economic manpower from villages to run machines in towns driven by steam power. The second revolution, with assembly production, electric lamps and connectivity through the use of railways, telephone and telegraph provided abundant jobs with steadily increasing income for workers resulting in a large middle class. The  wealth of western countries grew at an unprecedented rate and the modern world took shape. This welfare then extended to the countries of East Asia, China being the latest and most impressive growth story of them all. With these records, it is no wonder that economists’ enthusiasm knew no bounds with the advent of the third ‘digital’ revolution. This time, however, there was a serious effect on

15

industrial employment in the West, with factories going offshore to China. This effect was fortunately compensated by a huge increase in the ‘services sector’ employment, although incomes remained stagnant, and even occasionally fell behind inflation. I have seen the agony of common people with the constant threat of downsizing. The trade union movement became defensive and mostly ineffective. On the other hand, new technologies resulted in huge concentration of wealth with the already wealthy investors and the successful innovators. It also benefited well-educated scientists and engineers, and increasingly those in biological sciences.

This disturbing trend in concentration of wealth at the top and slow, but steady, erosion of the purchasing power of the vast middle class in the West as a result of the third ‘digital’ industrial revolution has been noticed by some left-leaning economists, including Nobel Prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman. But the true believers in the mantra of ‘creative destruction’ brushed their critiques aside. As the fourth industrial revolution takes shape, there is a clear change in tone from some of those “true believers.” Thus Klaus Schwab, in his book mentioned above, is clearly worried about the unemployment problem becoming ubiquitous as this latest industrial revolution becomes more widespread. This unknown future, with attendant unemployment problem, was also the theme of a report by the Swiss investment bank UBS released just before the Davos meeting.

It predicts even more concentration of wealth at the extreme top and the threat of almost permanent unemployment, not only for the non/semi-skilled workers, but for skilled workers in offices and factories as well. To avoid any unforeseen social discontent, UBS is suggesting that western governments must already devise methods to channelize some of the wealth created by this fourth industrial revolution to those left behind by this process. This must be serious indeed if the reputed Foreign Affairs magazine devotes its most recent issue almost entirely to the topic of ‘inequality’.

The effect on the emerging world would be equally daunting. One direct consequence often mentioned is that the current model of transferring production offshore for cheap labour may become history very soon. If intelligent robots take over most of the human work in the factories of the future, there would be no need to send production overseas for cost differentials. In that case, it would be preferable to keep the production process close to the home base for better planning and intervention when required. The Chinese model of development that saw dramatic results in the last four decades is not going to work in other countries anymore. India is in for more paradoxes. We tried to jump from the phase of the first industrial revolution to the third ‘digital’ one and we were stuck in a limbo. Our Prime Minister recognized that and started ‘skill development’ and ‘made in India’ campaigns for our safe landing into the second industrial revolution phase. But our ego always gets the upper hand, despite warnings against its trappings

16

by our wise men for millennia. So before finding a stable footing in this phase, we are dreaming of jumping to the phase of the fourth revolution with plans for ‘smart cities’ and ‘cashless payments’. I am afraid that we would soon be stuck in another limbo. Although we made strides in space technology and nuclear sciences, we have huge gaps in our technological capabilities on many fronts of the later phase of the second technological revolution. This is our main difference with the advanced countries. China, by contrast, has more or less caught up with the advanced countries as far as technologies emanating from the second technological revolution are concerned.

In his best-seller published last year, The Rise of the Robots, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur Martin Ford discussed in detail the future of automation and mass unemployment. Even earlier, Carl Benedikt and Michael A. Osborne of Oxford University found in a 2013 study “that the jobs held by roughly 47 per cent of the US workforce could be susceptible to automation within the next two decades.” The biggest scare for professional jobs comes from massive advance in the field of “big data.” Enormous data gathered these days in all fields of activities could be analysed automatically and useful information extracted from them without the need of human interface as research on “big data” matures.

Even though the advanced economies are sure to gain by bringing the production processes back home, some of their die-hard believers in the free market economy are asking governments to take measures to avoid adverse consequences of mass unemployment as the new economy arising out of the fourth industrial revolution takes shape. People without income would not be able to buy goods produced by the robots. Martin Ford suggested basic income for everyone to sustain the demand in the economy. To stop western companies to take their factories back home, Chinese workers are massively producing robots in China that would surely take away their own jobs. Are our free market economists listening? Are we taking steps to insulate us from the possible fall-out on the unemployment front? We need to act fast and act now.The writer is former Dean and Emeritus Professor of Applied Mathematics,  University of Twente, The Netherlands.

17

EDUCATION

HINDU, FEB 15, 2016Why our universities are in ferment

As over two thousand students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi gathered peacefully on Saturday to protest police action on campus and the arrest of the President of the Students’ Union, a potentially dangerous stampede was set in motion at the front, when at Rahul Gandhi’s entrance, media people with cameras rushed unheedingly into the thickly clustered people seated on the ground. The situation was exacerbated by a further push into that space by about fifteen Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists holding black flags and shouting slogans against Rahul Gandhi. Within seconds, however, the students conducting the meeting had organised a human chain to hold back and corral the media and the ABVP safely into one corner, and the human chain was then immediately taken up by the hundreds of teachers present. Until Rahul Gandhi left, the handful of ABVP activists continued their slogans, but they could only be heard by those seated in their immediate vicinity.

This is how students and teachers have always maintained, through the gravest provocations, perhaps the most peaceful campus in the country. Debate and dissent have always been part of its ethos but never violence, an ethos unfamiliar to those who only know violent suppression of dissent.

Storm troopers of the Sangh

Three factors reflected in this account are crucial in understanding the circumstances of many universities that have been in the news recently — the extreme responsibility shown by most students at all times, the matching irresponsibility shown by the visual media in particular, and the role of the ABVP as storm troopers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh/Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS/BJP).

Students and young people have been at the forefront of protests across the country for some time now, even before the Modi regime came to power, against land acquisition by relentlessly neo-liberal regimes, corruption, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, homophobic politics, cutbacks in education budgets, anti-worker policies and rampant caste-based discrimination. The Jadavpur University students’ protest against sexual harassment, the nation-wide upsurge after the December 16, 2012 rape, and student support to striking Maruti workers are some instances.

Lately, many of these protests have been against Hindutva- wadi politics — attempts to control the food and dietary habits of large numbers of communities, moral policing of young people, and communal violence set coldly and calculatedly in motion by what Paul Brass has called ‘institutionalised systems of riot production’. These protests have been militant but utterly non-violent, and they have been relentless. These are not elite young people, as they are often portrayed in the media. Thanks to the continued expansion of education, reservation policies, and

18

in universities like JNU, affirmative action through deprivation points, the class, caste and gender profile of these young people is remarkably heterogeneous. Like Rohith Vemula of the University of Hyderabad whose charismatic leadership on the basis of a left-inflected Ambedkarite political vision and powerful suicide letter galvanised the country; Kanhaiya Kumar, the arrested JNU Students’ Union president, in jail for fulfilling his responsibility as elected representative and attempting to maintain peace among ABVP and the other students who organised the controversial event; or Richa Singh, first woman president of the Allahabad University Students’ Union, battling the entrenched patriarchy of the Hindi-belt campuses — most of them come from modest to extremely poor families, having battled discrimination of different sorts at every stage. When they enter public universities that still, in what seems to our older generation to be a doomed era, are affordable to many, offer spaces of learning, lively debate, intellectual growth and political understanding of structural injustices, something magical happens. Young people from marginalised sections see that social transformation is possible, and that they can be the agents of that transformation.

Pattern of misrepresentation

As to the irresponsibility of the media, apart from the mindless competition for pictures of celebrities, political or otherwise, the reportage boggles the mind. On Saturday at JNU for example, I could hear one reporter say in that breathless manner they all affect, “events at JNU have taken a political turn as leaders of political parties arrive” (as if the political turn had not already taken place with the entry of police on a university campus), and another intone “there is an evident split in the student body with ABVP activists showing black flags” (a few thousand students chanting “Stand with JNU” and twenty people showing black flags is an evident split!). During the University of Hyderabad unrest too, the reportage was completely one-sided until Rohith Vemula’s suicide forced the media to sit up and take notice.

Of course, these reporters are young people too, they are doing their job as they know it. One can only hope that somewhere, someone will realise that television can have thoughtful coverage rather than farcical “breaking news” and high decibel meaningless shouting in studios, slanted by the anchor in the direction s/he chooses. One day surely, there will be one channel, at least one programme on a channel, that will not have 24 hour news, but discussion, debate and real attempts to untangle political controversies?

Meanwhile, the third factor mentioned earlier, the ABVP across campuses has been given the responsibility of raising the slogan of anti-nationalism wherever democratic aspirations are expressed, or filing some complaint on an innocuous issue, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) promptly swoops in to act. Grants to Panjab University were stopped and salaries not paid after the ABVP filed a complaint with the MHRD alleging irregularities in the hostel funds, despite the vice chancellor having instituted an inquiry committee and submitted all records. In the University of Hyderabad it is well known that the MHRD pushed the VC to take action, not against the ABVP students who attacked the others, but against the Ambedkar Students’ Association.

19

Elsewhere, the ABVP has filed police complaints on ‘hurting of religious sentiments’ when a hostel warden cautioned against the holding of a ‘ havan ’ inside a small hostel room, as a fire hazard (JNU); physically threatened the president of the Students’ Union, but her letters of complaint to the MHRD have been ignored (Allahabad University); and in campuses across the country, violently disrupted or tried to disrupt the screening of Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai , the documentary by Nakul Sawhney that clearly shows the culpability of Hindutva- wadi organisations in the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar. The ABVP has also physically attacked organisers of militantly Dalit ‘Beef Festivals’ in campuses in States where cow slaughter is not illegal.

Pliant vice chancellors

Which brings us to a final factor that is critical — university administrations. Everywhere, the role of a pliant vice chancellor and key university officials has been crucial in acting with alacrity on the smallest complaint by the ABVP.

The slapping of charges of ‘sedition’ on the JNUSU president is a matter for a separate discussion. Suffice it here to say that it has been sufficiently established by Indian courts that mere words and speech cannot be criminalised unless used to incite mobs or crowds to violent action. More importantly though, ‘sedition’ as a crime has no place in a modern democracy, there is no justification whatsoever for provisions that criminalise and silence dissent and ethical challenges to the dominant order. These provisions are unconstitutional and anti-democratic. This colonial era provision loyally upheld by India was in the meanwhile repealed in the United Kingdom in 2009.

The Modi regime, in its bid to be a global superpower through a route that transforms ‘Made in India’ to ‘Make in India’, in a re-inscription of the colonial division of labour in which India offers cheap labour to global capital, is right to target universities and young people. It is these that pose one of the most formidable challenges to the savarna Hindu nationalist and neo-liberal vision of India, and which continue to foreground social justice, equality and freedom, the values enshrined in our Constitution.

It is our collective responsibility to continue to be self-critical, recognise the institutionalised ways in which caste, gender and other oppression is entrenched in our universities, and recognise that democratisation is a continuing process, a horizon never to be reached.

(Nivedita Menon, a feminist scholar, is a professor at JNU.)

It is evident why the Modi regime targets universities and young people. They pose one of the most formidable challenges to the savarna Hindu nationalist and neo-liberal vision of India.

20

The Sangh Parivar’s student wing across campuses has been given the responsibility of raising the slogan of anti-nationalism wherever democratic aspirations are expressed, or filing some complaint on an innocuous issue, and the HRD Ministry promptly swoops in to act

ECONOMIC TIMES, FEB 12, 2016HRD ministry forwards four names to President for Delhi University Vice Chancellor

NEW DELHI: The Union HRD ministry has forwarded a panel of four names to President Pranab Mukherjee for appointment of Delhi University vicechancellor. Sources told PTI that the four names have been forwarded to the President, who as Visitor of Central Universities, will make the final selection. It is understood that among the panel of the four eminent persons whose names have been forwarded comprises Dean of the Law Faculty at South Asian University Yogesh Tyagi, those of JNU professor Rameshwar Nath Kaul Bamezai, , former IIT professor and UPSC member Hemchand Gupta and DU professor in Political Science department Bidyuth Chakraborty. Sources said that Bamezai's name was also part of the panel of four names forwarded by the ministry to the President's office in the panel for selection of VC for JNU.

DECCAN HERALD, FEB 8, 2016Law Ministry okays removal of Visva-Bharati VC

The Union law ministry has given a green signal to the Human Resource Development (HRD) to terminate the service of Visva-Bharati University vice-chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta.

The HRD had held Dattagupta guilty of irregularities, following which he resigned last year.In a communiqué to Dattagupta, the law ministry approved the procedures the HRD followed in seeking removal as VC. The ministry passed on the same message to the HRD on Friday, pointing out that removing Dattagupta no longer has legal roadblocks. 

The academic, who took up the job in 2011, would be one of the first VCs of a central university to be removed by the government.

Trouble started for Dattagupta in March 2015 when the HRD raised questions about some decisions related to appointments and finances. A three-member committee set up by the Centre found him guilty of “financial and administrative irregularities” and the HRD decided to take action against him. 

The office of President Pranab Mukherjee, ex-officio visitor of all central universities, returned the file in November, after Dattagupta claimed to being framed by section of the varsity’s academia.

INDIAN EXPRESS, FEB 9, 2016Retired teachers to be enlisted for teaching: HRD Ministry

21

The decision was taken at a meeting of state education ministers and secretaries chaired by HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Monday.

In collaboration with the state governments, the HRD Ministry will start a pilot programme

across 18 states that will enlist people, especially retired schools teachers, willing to teach

government school students on a voluntary basis.

The decision was taken at a meeting of state education ministers and secretaries chaired by HRD

Minister Smriti Irani on Monday. Eighteen states, including Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,

Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, Goa, Delhi and Tripura, have agreed to participate in the pilot

project that will start from April.

The Centre will develop a mobile app for enlisting volunteers, said ministry sources.

“The broad framework of this programme has been left to the state governments to decide. The

framework will be finalised based on the experience and feedback of the pilot run,” said a

ministry official.

STTESMAN, FEB 9, 2016Whither PresidencyArunabha Bagchi

My first foray into writing columns for The Statesman was an article on Presidency College, titled “The Turning Point” (January 6, 2011). It was my personal account of the first gherao in the institution and was written right after the college was rechristened as Presidency University when the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor there was briefly gheraoed by some students. It was a warning against our politicians playing politics with academic institutions. To my pleasant surprise, some junior editors of the first Presidency Alumni Magazine to be published after the changeover to Presidency University approached and got permission from the Editor of The Statesman to publish my article there. The article did not appear in that issue, presumably outvoted by senior editors who did not want to be reminded of the past.

My fourth article in The Statesman was also on Presidency University, “A Herculean Task to Turn the Tide” (March 3, 2011), but this time it was an emotional piece with a list of suggestions for our beloved college to make some mark as a university in due course of time. To achieve this, I thought that “a twenty-year horizon is a realistic target, with the possibility of online correction

22

every five years or so.” Soon thereafter we had a change of government in West Bengal, an imposing Mentor Group was installed, one that did not need suggestions of others, the fledgling university went through many political tantrums and saw the installation of the third Vice Chancellor within five years. The time for online correction is now.

Two recent items in The Statesman brought me back to those two articles on Presidency written five years ago. Let us begin with the first. It was a letter written by Professor Samit Kar that may be summarized following Tagore as “Give back that Presidency College, take away this Presidency University.” I heard many scholars expressing the same sentiment before, but this was the first time I read about this from a faculty or alumni of Presidency College/University. The argument of others was that Presidency College had its reputation as possibly being the best in India of what the Americans call a “Liberal Arts College.” Contrary to the common myth, most highly acclaimed researchers starting their career at Presidency moved to universities or research institutions after spending only some years there. In the glorified Physics department in our days, in the words of the illustrious Professor Amal Raychaudhuri, the only other colleague there doing any serious research was Professor Shyamal Sengupta. That Professor Raychaudhuri stayed at Presidency till retirement was, according to his own words, simply because Calcutta University never offered him a job. I never knew that Satyen Bose or Megnad Saha ever taught there until I read the website of Presidency University.

Personally I find elite liberal arts colleges a luxury we can ill afford in India. I believe that all academic education should be in unitary universities. Even the United States cannot afford those colleges any more. I do not recall any such college set up there after the Second World War, the period of huge prosperity and rapid expansion of higher education there. These colleges do not exist in the Continent either. Apart from economic reasons, there are serious academic arguments against these colleges as well. One is the lack of contact of fresh undergraduates, bubbling with curiosity and enthusiasm, with highly original and active researchers who teach at the post-graduate level elsewhere. These students are usually bored and de-motivated by the time they join the university for post-graduate studies. Conversely, faculty members teaching at the post-graduate level are unable to use senior undergraduate students in some interesting research projects.

The huge publicity over Presidency University marginalised Calcutta University that still had serious scholars trying their best to maintain its former reputation against all odds. It is actually Calcutta University that really had great scholars in its chequered past. The Communists did their best to destroy that tradition, but the present government made matters worse. The NRI dominated Mentor Group appointed by Mamata Banerjee for Presidency University has too many members who were either well-off or well-connected enough to leave Calcutta right after

23

graduation from Presidency College for higher studies abroad, or elsewhere in India. They have no emotional attachment to the university bearing the name of the city where they grew up. I believe that logically the government should have simultaneously done the reverse operation and transformed Calcutta University into a unitary one as well.

The second item in The Statesman was awarding honorary D Litt degree to Professor Amartya Sen. Everyone would unhesitatingly admit that he is the most famous Bengali of our time. But awarding him suddenly the honorary D Litt degree was so superfluous as to defy logic. Even if he were to be so honoured, the only time to do that would be the first convocation of Presidency University. Why suddenly this extraordinary convocation to make a totally unnecessary show, except to remind us just before the election of the great work our government is doing for Presidency University? The thought might have been that all political interferences, awkward actions on sitting Vice Chancellors, arbitrary decisions on the composition of the university council and the lowering of the image of the fledgling university with the departure of some top faculty members would be mysteriously blown away from the minds of the emotional Bengalis by just giving doctor honoris causa to Amartya Sen.

Turning back to Presidency University, the main drawback in developing it into a “centre of excellence” is its relatively narrow focus. It has standard disciplines in natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities. Natural sciences and engineering are becoming increasingly intertwined, and a university without an engineering faculty would be a major handicap to high profile research in natural sciences these days. The same is true in medical sciences without close collaboration with a teaching hospital. Experts in social sciences and humanities must know other handicaps that Presidency faces in those fields as well. I can think of psychology/education and classical Indian/modern European languages as some areas badly needed to develop new multidisciplinary research activities in social sciences and humanities.The main task of Presidency from the beginning was to assemble both excellent faculty and students there. There were huge logistic problems in building up new faculty suitable for a university when a faculty already existed at Presidency College with uneven levels of competence. That needed the drastic measure of starting afresh, with the redundant faculty members there given guaranteed positions in government colleges. This was admirably done, although most new recruits are young Ph.Ds with few really inspiring senior professors to form balanced teams. To keep the young recruits at Presidency, as they become recognised scholars, is going to be a big challenge for the university.

Regarding excellent students, concrete steps must be taken to attract them to the university. Engineering, medical, law and business schools would be one step to attract the best and the brightest. A second option would be some form of regional collaboration to make Presidency a

24

regional “centre of excellence” with bright students from neighbouring states, and even Bangladesh and Nepal, given special incentives to study there. A completely different solution I suggested recently is to integrate Presidency, IIEST, NUJS, Bidhan Chandra Agricultural University, IISER and the planned AIIMS and Institute of Public Health and Research in Kalyani into a National University. Drastic out-of-the-box solutions must be devised if Presidency is to fulfil the promise of being a “centre of excellence”in the foreseeable future.

25

ELECTIONS

ECONOMIC TIMES, FEB 12, 2016Voter list entry: Govt frames draft bill for 2nd cutoff date

NEW DELHI: More young citizens would soon be able to enlist themselves as voters as the Law Ministry has drafted a bill to have multiple cutoff dates to ensure that people who turn 18 are able to register in the electoral rolls twice a year. As of now, for an election to be held in a particular year, only an individual who has attained the age of 18 years as on January 1 of that year or before is eligible to be enrolled in the voters' list. Now, July 1 could be the second cutoff date. While the Election Commission had been pushing for four cutoff dates to register as voters, the government has agreed to have two. EC told the government that the January 1 cutoff date set for the purpose deprives several youths from participating in the electoral exercise held in a particular year. The frequently asked question section on the website of Delhi Chief Electoral Officer explains the concept of cutoff or qualifying date. "Which is the relevant date for determining the age qualification of 18 years? Suppose, you have completed 18 years of age today. Can you get yourself registered as voter? "According to Section 14 (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the qualifying date means the first day of January of the year in which the electoral roll is prepared or revised." Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had recently said that "as a result (of having one cutoff date), if a person is becoming 18 years on January 2, he cannot be registered. Therefore, a person who is turning 18 beyond January 1 will have to wait for next year to get registered." At a meeting held last month between Zaidi had top Law Ministry officials, the government had agreed for two cutoff dates. The Commission proposed that instead of only one qualifying date for enrollment, there should be four different dates (January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1) for enrollment so that maximum number of people can be enrolled. The Law Ministry suggested that instead of four dates, "we may introduce two dates. Accordingly, the Commission proposed that January 1 and July 1 may be specified as qualifying dates for enrollment by amending electoral laws", EC had said in a statement after the meeting. EC's proposal had earlier run into legal hurdles as government was of the view that that it would need a constitutional amendment. But now, the EC and the Law Ministry have agreed that the Representation of the People Act would only have be amended by a simple bill.

26

ENVIRONMENT

STATESMAN, FEB 11, 2016Climate displacement

A recent report on the socio-economic consequences of climate change argues that the Paris climate agreement could make millions of forest dwellers in Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo homeless and without amenities of life. This raises the important question of environmental justice and indigenous rights. Climate change is relatively a new policy initiative; the nature of global climate governance is evolving every year and at present has become state-centred and involves grassroots/bottom-up perspectives. Many developing countries are trying to achieve their carbon targets by setting aside forested lands as reserves and protected areas. But environmental experts are concerned that designating natural spaces as reserves often entails removing the people who depend on those lands. Designating forest areas as environmentally protected could displace as many as 1.3 million in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Liberia has the largest forest area amongst West African nations due to persistent efforts of its indigenous communities. Developing nations as a group must ensure that developed nations live up to their commitments and do not escape their promise of action based on historic responsibility. The increasingly fragmentary nature of national climate action leaves it open to influences, monetary and technical, as observed in the case of Liberia and DRC. International donors must ensure that they do not violate the principles of environmental justice and follow legal guidelines on indigenous rights. Environmental justice necessarily includes a distributive conception of justice but also embraces concepts/ideas of justice based on recognition, capabilities and participation. Any action that has the potential to displace millions without rehabilitation should refocus attention on human rights of indigenous people. International financing of environmental projects in Africa, Latin America or Asia must bear in mind that poor and marginalized communities are more prone to hazardous exposure from environmental pollution; and historically indigenous communities have been denied the opportunity to participate in decisions that directly affect their lives and livelihood. Thus to the greatest extent that is permitted by law and practice, indigenous people should be given an opportunity to present their views before an environmental project/plan is initiated. The need for substantive climate action should not be diminished/lessened after the Paris climate deal; suitable climate actions are required to reduce carbon emissions and the earth’s rising temperature. New initiatives need more investments in green technology, carbon markets and ambitious commitments from the governments and the private sector. In the case of India, the NDA government must ensure that its next steps are decisive, follow a comprehensive framework of action developed by environmental experts, and engage non-state actors and sub-national stakeholders. A genuine climate action should reduce emissions and make the communities most vulnerable to climate change more adaptive.

27

GOVERNORS

STATESMAN, FEB 11, 2016'Governors should protect, defend Constitution'

Emphasising that governors have the "onerous responsibility to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution", President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said it was imperative that all their actions were within its framework and "conform to the highest ideals enshrined in this living document".

"As holders of high offices, governors must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair," the president said in his concluding remarks at the 47th Conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mukherjee said the governors of eastern states, specially those of the northeastern states, should become "active participants of the government's Act East policy".He said connectivity of the northeastern states must be improved by strengthening the road and rail networks.

"There is need for a progressive policy for industrial investment and promotion in the hilly and mountainous states. The entire northeast and the northern region of the country is highly vulnerable to seismic disturbances.

"The building codes and regulatory mechanisms for new construction have to be enforced strictly. It needs to be ensured that disaster management procedures are in place and regular drills are conducted," an official statement quoted Mukherjee as saying.

Almost all the important statements of the president made at the conference, which also appeared on Twitter, were re-tweeted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, showing his support for the president's views as to how governors should conduct themselves.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor JP Rajkhowa, who has been embroiled in a row and was dubbed the Centre's "agent" had clarified that he was not a "political person" and was "never a member of any political party". Recently citing law and order in Arunachal Pradesh, he had recommended President's Rule in the state.

DECCAN HERALD, FEB 11, 2016Governors must be catalysts of change: PM

28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told governors that they could play a role of catalytic agents in the states for improving development process but “without themselves becoming a part of them.”

Addressing the concluding session of the 47th conference of governors called by President Pranab Mukherjee, Modi said all governors should think about some form of legacy which they would leave behind at the end of their terms, as their contribution to the states.

Modi’s remarks came against the backdrop of controversial role of some governors, some of whom were appointed by his government.

Modi said, “the governors occupy a unique high position, owing to their vast years of experience, and the prestigious nature of their post. They can hence work as catalytic agents in the States, speeding up and improving processes without themselves becoming a part of them.”

The prime minister reiterated his government’s stress on the importance of cooperative federalism, which he said must be implemented in letter and spirit. 

He said the Centre and states must work together as Team India. He added that the spirit of cooperative federalism must also extend to cooperative, competitive federalism, with healthy competition for development among states. 

Addressing the conference, President Pranab Mukherjee said holders of high offices must not only be fair but also be seen to be fair. He reminded Governors even as he asked them to act as catalysts for the success of initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission and Make in India programme.

Mukherjee said laudable initiatives taken by some governors should be replicated in other states and that they should play a proactive role in driving quality higher education.

Taking forward his comments made in the opening session on Tuesday, he said governors have been charged with an onerous responsibility to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. DH News Service

29

INTERNET

TRIBUNE, FEB 10, 2016A historic order: TRAI upholds net neutrality, freedom of policy

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) deserves a prolonged round of applause for reiterating and upholding the principle of net neutrality. In its historic order of February 8, 2016, the regulator has ruled against “discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content.” The Monday order also stipulates a fine against the offender. With this ‘firman’, the raging debate on various aspects of net neutrality comes to an end, at least for now. The debate has been joined with considerable gusto by both sides of the divide; but the controversy is not going to be allowed to rest because of the formidable clout wielded by the affected players.

 This order has been correctly hailed as a hefty blow to Facebook, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Jio. While there may be room for dissent from this order, the TRAI judgment is to be seen in a larger context. And, that context was and remains the capacity of the powerful corporate entities to dictate public policy in India. It would be recalled that it was only a few months ago the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, had allowed himself to be seen as performing a ‘jugalbandi’ with the Facebook functionaries, creating an impression that anyone with deep corporate pockets could rewrite Indian laws and rules. 

 The TRAI order is all the more remarkable and noteworthy because it is against the grain of the entrenched policy correctness. The mantra seems to be “the corporate India should get what it wants”.  The telecom companies had appropriated the government’s proclaimed goal of a billion Internet connections and sought to steer that objective into their private corner. While there may be a cause of discomfort that a government should hold sway over telecom companies  through an extensive licensing regime, it is decidedly dangerous to let those companies in turn determine how the citizens of a democratic India inform or express themselves. The telecom mogul, Zuckerberg, likes to point out that a billion Indians still don’t have access to the internet, but it is also a fact that many of those Indians do not have access to even sufficient food, healthcare or education, or even clean air and water. A desirable policy goal cannot be allowed to be hijacked for private profit. The TRAI has not only demonstrated its autonomy, but also perhaps underscored that India is not for sale. 

30

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

BUSINESS STANDARD, FEB 12, 2016Financial crisis brews in Delhi's municipal corporationsNMC, SDMC and EDMC have budget deficits of Rs 2,753 crore, Rs 199 crore and Rs 2,196 crore, respectivelySahil Makkar & Ishan Bakshi 

The financial crisis in Delhi's civic bodies can be traced to the uneven distribution of assets

among the three in 2012 but the situation slipped out of hand because of a reduction in budgetary

grants, the reluctance of the Delhi government to implement the recommendations of the Fourth

Finance Commission and the failure of the municipalities to generate additional revenue.

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) inherited debts of around Rs 451 crore, while

the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) inherited debts of around Rs 750 crore. The

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) had the highest share of debt at Rs 850 crore. On

trifurcation, the Delhi government extended the municipal corporations loans at an interest rate

of 10.5 per cent. NMC, SDMC and EDMC have budget deficits of Rs 2,753 crore, Rs 199 crore

and Rs 2,196 crore, respectively.

EDMC mayor Harshdeep Malhotra says "the actual problem started after the Sheila Dikshit-led

Delhi government refused to allocate the promised money at inception, after the Bharatiya Janata

Party defeated the Congress in the municipality elections and captured all the three civic bodies."

In response to the allegations, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit told The Indian Express

that "if trifurcation was to lead to a crisis, it would have happened immediately and not four

years after implementation."

The debt-ridden civic bodies had to further wait for funds till the AAP government took charge

following almost a year of President's Rule in the Capital. Their hopes were dashed after the

AAP government delayed the implementation of the report of the Fourth Finance Commission,

which was tendered in 2012. According to sources, the commission had called for substantially

increasing the municipalities' share in the Delhi government's tax revenues. In fact, the AAP

government withheld around 1.5 per cent of the money that should be disbursed to these bodies

citing poor performance.

31

Data obtained by Business Standard show that over the past three years the budgetary grants from the Delhi government to the three civic bodies have declined from Rs 1,881.30 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,581.10 crore in 2015-16.

SDMC's share in total grants fell from 34.90 per cent to 34.60 per cent over the three-year period. By comparison, EDMC saw a larger decline from 24.60 per cent to 22.80 per cent, or roughly Rs 103 crore in the current financial year.

EDMC accounts for 24 per cent of the city's population and it has received a commensurate share in grants, NMC, which services 31 per cent of the population, received a significantly higher share at 42.6 per cent of the total grants. Of the three municipalities only NMC saw a slight rise in its share of grants.

These annual outlays are provided to the civic bodies under various heads such as transport, education and health. The data show that the three corporations experienced large cuts in the health (medical) and urban development heads over the years. For instance, EDMC's outlay for health declined from Rs 41 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 19 crore in 2015-16, and NMC witnessed a sharp decline from Rs 110 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 76 crore in the same corresponding period. Similarly, the health (medical) outlay for SDMC was reduced from Rs 19 crore to Rs 12 crore. The three civic bodies witnessed a decline of Rs 64 crore each in urban development outlays.

This suggests that in the absence of any increase in the municipalities' own revenue collection to offset this decline, the fiscal space for EDMC and NDMC is bound to be severely constrained.

For municipal corporations, property tax is a major source of revenue. But this is where the original distribution of assets constrains EDMC and NDMC from increasing their share of property taxes.

32

In Delhi, for the purpose of tax calculation, colonies are classified into seven categories ranging from A to G. Colonies under category A pay the maximum tax, whereas unauthorised colonies are classified in category G.

Under the current classification, while EDMC has 466 colonies, not a single colony falls in the "posh" A, B and C categories, according to Bhanu Joshi and Shahana Sheikh, researchers at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). By comparison, NMC has 22 colonies and SDMC has 121 colonies in the A, B and C categories. This implies that SDMC receives a lion's share of the collections from property tax, while EDMC barely receives a fraction of the amount. Even if EDMC wants to increase its share of property taxes, barring a hike in property taxes, this classification doesn't allow it.

Reworking the existing classification of colonies and widening the property tax base could help these cash-stricken bodies to raise resources. "Political will is required to increase property tax or even parking charges in a city, which witnesses three elections every five years. The current crisis has been blown out of proportion keeping in mind the impending municipal elections in 2017," said a senior municipal official. "It is unofficially talked in the corridors of power that these three bodies should be united so that administrative expenses are significantly brought down," said the official.

Even the relatively well off SDMC is likely to face a challenging position if the current impasse continues. "We have enough money to pay salaries but if the Delhi government does not give us our dues, it will slow down the development work," says Subhash Arya of South Delhi municipality.

All municipalities are banking on the implementation of the Fourth Finance Commission to boost their flagging finances. But this is where politics comes into play. According to officials, the finance commission has recommended a substantial increase in the civic bodies' share of state taxes. But this is being held up by the AAP.

"Arvind Kejriwal's reasons for not implementing the Fourth Finance Commission report are totally unacceptable. He is asking the Delhi Development Authority to be made part of the Delhi government. This demand is unacceptable and unreal," Malhotra said.

33

PARLIAMENT

TRIBUNE, FEB 8, 2016Rajindar SachaPaid for no work? Legislators can’t hold Parliament to ransom

PARLIAMENT session is going to start this month. There is much speculation, rather it seems to be accepted across the board that it is going to be a propaganda tamasha with walkouts and the disruption of the House, leading to no legislation. The anguished cry of Vice-President Ansari on the conclusion of the last session, ending December 2015, requesting MPs “to desist from demeaning the status of the House”, is going to be shamelessly defied in the coming session. The Rajya Sabha lost 47 hours due to disruption by the Congress, in 20-day sittings. In the earlier session, 25 of 44 Congress members had to be suspended. 

There is still no shame felt by the Congress which has announced openly that it will not let the Rajya Sabha work, where the Opposition is in majority. Finance Minister Jaitley has had to climb down from his false elevated status to make a public request for cooperation and was even willing to give parentage credit to the Congress for the GST Bill, which, with some modification, the government wants to pass. But I still have no hope for an improvement of the situation.

This situation had also reached a height as far back as 2007 when Speaker Somnath Chatterjee considered it so atrocious that he was inclined to apply the principle of “no work, no pay” to those legislators who disrupted proceedings in the House, as was suggested by a small meeting called by him consisting of journalists and civil rights activists and important public persons.

The Supreme Court has upheld the rule “no work, no pay” in the case of labour. The legislators may, cheek in tongue, term it as an abridgement of  their parliamentary privileges, but the masses find this self-glorification laughable. The conduct of such legislators is a standing shame to the nation and calls for immediate action. A study by a civil society organisation in 2007 found that in the 13th Lok Sabha, the time lost due to disruptions was 22.4 per cent while in the 14th Lok Sabha, which commenced in June 2004, it went up to 26 per cent. Each minute of Parliament costs about Rs 26.03 lakh (now, of course, this is far more). A legislator is paid a daily attendance honorarium, irrespective of the fact that he may just attend it for five minutes, out of the normal five-hour daily sitting. 

Dealing with delinquent individual legislators is manageable under the rule of procedure. The more serious problem is when gross disorderly conduct by a large number of legislators makes the sittings of the legislatures impossible. In such a situation, the Speaker, perforce and against

34

his inclination, is forced to adjourn the House. The damage to the dignity of the House and the nation  is  for everyone to see. But the legislators still draw their daily allowances, suffering no monetary loss as there is no rule permitting allowances not to be paid to members even if the House is adjourned because of disorderly conduct of the other members. I believe, the absence of rule does not matter because the House Speaker has the inherent power to so direct the deduction of the allowances. According to May’s Parliamentary Practice, “The Speaker of the House of Commons (UK) has power to suspend for conduct falling below the standard House was entitled to expect and in certain cases, the practice is including withholding the member salary for the period of suspension.” Admittedly, the precedents of the Speaker of House of Commons are applicable in India.  

The Speaker has the power to suspend the erring member and order him not to attend the Lok Sabha, and this will automatically mean that he will not be paid for those days as per the existing rules.

The principle of “no work, no pay” cannot be doubted because of the law laid down by the Supreme Court (1990). In that case, the Bank of India employees went on four-hour strike but joined the duty for the rest of the day. But the bank ordered the deduction of the salary for the whole day, which was upheld by the court. Similarly, legislators who are paid daily allowance for attending the session, but because of their own disorderly conduct, force the Speaker to adjourn the House against his own volition, cannot, in all fairness, be asked to be paid the  daily allowance which would mean rewarding a member for his own misconduct. The Supreme Court has held that: “It is permissible to deduct wages for the whole day even if the absence is for a few hours.” The legislators thus cannot complain that why everyone should suffer because of disorderly conduct of a few delinquents. But a sobering reflection will remind them that legislators have passed laws imposing collective fine in a locality because of a few unsocial elements, when admittedly, a majority of residents are law abiding. 

Courts have upheld such legislation in the interest of general public good. Surely, legislators should  not  cavil  at  applying  the  same yardstick to themselves as they seek to apply to the work man and ordinary people.

A somewhat unusual Gandhian procedure can also be followed — if the government party, or the ministers, were to announce that they would forego the daily allowance for the days that the House is suspended even because of the disorderly conduct by the Opposition, it would set a very high principled precedent and would shame the Opposition into following their example, or

35

to suffer ignominy before the public — resulting that whatever the provocation, the House would never be adjourned.

There is one other alternative. The Speaker may refuse to adjourn the House even if there is disorderly conduct, and though no work may be done, yet automatically, the government party will have to remain in the House. If the Opposition in those circumstances chooses to walk out, it would invite the ridicule and the anger of the electorate. Apart from financial  benefit, this moral force may then shame the legislators, both in the government and the Opposition to calm down. These suggestions look unreal, but what is happening in our legislatures is so embarrassingly unacceptable, that it calls for a different and innovative methodology.

— The writer is a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court

36

POVERTYINDIAN EXPRESS, FEB 15, 2016Almost 80% of rural Muslims in West Bengal are borderline poor: Report

In rural Bengal, nearly 47 per cent of all Muslims who work are either agricultural workers or

‘daily workers’ in non-agriculture sectors — “they are at the bottom of the economic ladder,”

says the study.Written by Esha Roy 

Only 3.8 per cent of these households reported earning Rs 15,000 and above per month, according to a report released Sunday by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on the status of Muslims in West Bengal.

Nearly eight in 10 Muslim households in rural West Bengal have a monthly family income of Rs

5,000 or less, which is barely above the cut-off level of income for poverty line for a family of

five. While Muslims constitute 27 per cent of the state’s population, as much as 38.3 per cent

households from the minority community in rural parts of the state earn Rs 2,500 or less per

month.

Only 3.8 per cent of these households reported earning Rs 15,000 and above per month,

according to a report released Sunday by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on the status of Muslims

in West Bengal.

Titled “Living reality of Muslims in West Bengal”, the report has been drawn up by non-profit

organisations SNAP, Guidance Guild, and Sen’s own Pratichi Institute. The event was held at

Gorky Sadan.

Significantly, 13.2 per cent Muslim adults in the state do not hold voter identity cards, the report

has found.

37

According to the study, there are two Muslim-majority districts in the state: Murshidabad (66.3

per cent Muslim population), and Malda (51.3 per cent); and 65 of the 341 blocks in rural Bengal

are Muslim-majority.

But their large presence notwithstanding, Bengal Muslims stand deprived of basic amenities such

as tap water, drainage, equal opportunities in employment and even LPG cylinders, according to

the study. It found their access to tap-water (15.2 per cent) is nearly 40 per cent less than that for

the state’s overall population (25.4 per cent, as per Census-2011). This, in a way, displays a

“combined community and class exclusion”, the study says.

While there seems to be parity in electrification of Muslim-dominated areas to the rest of the

population, only 12.2 per cent minority community households have access to drainage system,

against 31.6 per cent overall. The use of traditional fuel for cooking is much higher among

Muslims (85.9 per cent) compared to the average population of the state (68.6 per cent).

In rural Bengal, nearly 47 per cent of all Muslims who work are either agricultural workers or

‘daily workers’ in non-agriculture sectors — “they are at the bottom of the economic ladder,”

says the study. A measly 1.55 per cent of the state’s Muslims are school teachers, and 1.54 per

cent work in the public sector.

The report states: “Regular salaried jobs in the private sector are also a rarity — only 1 per cent

of the households surveyed. In the entire sample of 7,880 households only five were found to

have a college or university teacher, and there was no household with any of the highest category

of professionals as members, such as doctors, engineers and advocates.”

38

Releasing the report, Sen said: “The fact that Muslims of West Bengal are disproportionately

poorer and more deprived in terms of living conditions gives this report an inescapable

immediacy and practical urgency.”

Jahangir Hossain, who collaborated in preparing the report, said, “Most information collected by

the Sachar committee was from secondary sources. So we decided that we needed to collate data

and verify information from primary sources.”

On the social development front, the literacy rate for the community in the state is reported at

68.3 per cent — 4 per cent below the general population. Among literate Muslims, only 2.7 per

cent hold graduate degrees.

39

RAILWAYS

STATESMAN, FEB 9, 2016Railways launch take-away bedrolls

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has launched a personalised take-away bedrolls scheme, where passengers can take away bedrolls home after their journey.

"Initially, the supply would be at Chennai Central Railway Station and Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station of Southern Railway. Later, this scheme will be extended to other stations also in the country in phases," an official statement said on Monday.

Launched in Chennai's East Tambaram Railway Colony, the scheme comes in two types.One offers a bedroll kit packed in a non-woven fabric bag consisting of one pillow and two cotton bedsheets at Rs.140 The other costing Rs.110 offers a single blanket in a non-woven bag. Both types are inclusive of all taxes.

BUSINESS LINE, FEB 12, 2016Railyatri to diversify into train ticket booking serviceMAMUNI DAS

Imagine a perfect situation — getting to know, while booking a ticket, the probability of the ticket getting confirmed.

Railyatri.in, an app that has modelled itself around providing different services to crores of train users, claims it can tell you with 93 per cent accuracy the number of times a waitlisted train ticket can be confirmed.

“We tracked tickets across two-three years, and are now able to predict 93 per cent of the time whether a ticket will be confirmed or not. The predictive analysis is based on people sharing data with us. We provide train timings, waitlisted status, with an indication of high or low probability of getting a ticket confirmed,” Manish Rathi, co-founder and CEO of Railyatri.in, told BusinessLine .

According to Rathi, their research showed that at the counters, one of the key concerns of people booking a ticket was whether a ticket will get confirmed.

Diversification plans

Railyatri.in has been downloaded over 3 million times by users and the company looks to add more services, such as local trains and metros, with the core as railways.

40

With selling train tickets definitely on the radar, the website plans to start tying up with facilities used by train users, like buses, taxis and budget rooms.

For this, it is open to tying up directly with service providers and other aggregators, if they have good inventory.

The company works on the philosophy of aiming to provide anything that helps passengers make decisions.

“It could be related to a train reaching on time, platform numbers, coach position in a platform, and seat production, among others. We also tell people about news-events that can affect daily commute of trains,” he said.

Railyatri also had another interesting finding: the non-ticket revenue of a long-distance train passenger is more than the train ticket revenue. Passengers spend more on cabs, food, and porters than on the journey itself.

Based on the types of phones long-distance passengers use, or the kind of food they order, AC 3-tier passengers and even some sleeper passengers, could be compared with low budget airline travellers. “Their quality of service expectations do not change – even if they are travelling in sleeper,” said Railyatri.in.

TIMES OF INDIA, FEB 9, 2016IRCTC to offer 25 varieties of tea on trainsAnvit Srivastava IRCTC has also launched a mobile app through which orders can be placed.

NEW DELHI: Travelling by train has now become more fun for tea lovers as Indian Railway

Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has come up with a new offer of providing rail

passengers with over 25 varieties of tea, which can further be customised in over 12,000 ways.

The range varies from 'desi chai' to interesting ones like 'aam papad chai' and 'hari mirch chai'

along with kulhad chai, adrak tulsi chai and honey ginger lemon. IRCTC has also launched a

mobile app through which orders can be placed.

"The steaming cup of tea, an inseparable part of any train journey, is going to be tastier and

customised in choicest flavours with IRCTC entering into a tie up with leading tea cafe chain

Chaayos. Another good news for rail passengers is that we have decided to give 10% cash back

offer on e-catering orders of over Rs 300," said Arun Kumar Manocha, chairman, IRCTC.

41

ASIAN AGE, FEB 15, 2016Delhi government gives approval to city Metro Phase-IV

The Delhi government has given in-principle approval for construction of Metro Phase-IV. The decision was taken recently at a meeting chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had with transport, PWD and urban development departments.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set 2021 as deadline for the Phase-IV expansion, which would add 75 stations to the Metro network. A total of 31.47 kilometres of new lines will be underground, while 64.39 km will be elevated.

“In the recently-held meeting, the government has given in-principle approval for the construction of Metro Phase-IV,” a senior government official said.

The official said the Delhi government has written to DMRC, saying that it will go for the revenue sharing model adopted in the previous phases.

“Once the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and financial proposal are received from DMRC, the matter will taken to the Delhi Cabinet for final approval so that the project can be completed at the earliest,” the official said.

Among the projects chosen under Phase-IV are Rithala–Narela, Janakpuri West–R.K. Ashram, Mukundpur–Maujpur, Inderlok–Indrap-rastha, Tughlakabad–Aerocity, and Lajpat Nagar–Saket G-Block.

42

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

DECCAN HERALD, FEB 9, 2016The 'making' of rural IndiaAruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh

Just recall the scene in parliament when the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed in 2005.

In Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee put forth the motion – “Those in favour, say aye” – a unanimous chorus rose from the packed Lok Sabha. “Those against, say no,” – there was dead silence. “I think the ayes have it!” he said – and a seminal, landmark legislation became a reality. 

As then rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh concluded his rousing speech with “Rozgar Guarantee Zindabad!,” it brought India’s parliament and the rural people together  in agreement, applause, and celebration. The Act was later named after Mahatma Gandhi and came to be known as MGNREGA.

It was a historic moment for the country’s people and democracy.  It was a law driven by people’s demand. It mandated and guaranteed an open budget to meet its obligations. It addressed rural India’s predicament of distress migration. It was self targeting, offering wage employment at minimum wages to all those who sought work. The struggle for the law was dotted with acrimonious debate. 

Alarmist pink papers predicted the collapse of India’s economy, drained by dole seekers and corrupt middlemen. Widespread mobilisation pulled all political parties together in support of this peoples movement for the NREGA. 

It was the largest works programme in the world, with multiple objectives including combating poverty. In 10 years, the law has charted a path of empowerment and creativity for workers in rural India. 

A government press release on February 2, 2016 stated: “The achievements of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration. Since the start of the programme, the expenditure on the programme has amounted to Rs 3,13,844.55 crore and out of this 71 per cent has been spent on wage payments to workers. Of the workers, the percentage of scheduled caste workers has consistently been about 20 per cent and scheduled tribe workers has been about 17 per cent. 

“A total of 1,980.01 crore persondays have been generated, out of which the percentage worked by women has steadily increased much above the statutory minimum of 33 per cent (around 57 per cent this year). Sustainable assets have been created linked to conservation of natural resources and overall development of gram panchayats.”

Independent researchers in two “Sameeksha” reports brought out by the rural development ministry (a summary of all the independent studies), say most of them show a positive impact.

43

There have undoubtedly been problems in implementation – but most of them relate to administrative resistance and incompetence. 

In the first phase (2006-2010), the law was introduced and its mechanics understood. Implementation was uneven; some states did better than others.  Even in areas of poor implementation, the law gave workers bargaining power to fight an exploitative wage structure and demand dignified wages. The complaints by employers of not getting workers on their terms are a testimony to the programme’s success. 

From 2009 to 2014, the law was unfortunately, deliberately converted into a supply-driven programme, with a fund squeeze imposed by the finance ministry. Payments began to be delayed. Demand for work was neither captured, nor met. The bureaucracy had an excuse to not implement, and states ruled by different parties were left pleading for funds. 

The mounting liabilities at the end of each year made it clear that the spirit of MGNREGA could easily be broken by simply turning off the supply of funds. With the advent of the Narendra Modi government, the programme faced its worst crisis. 

Funds were reduced to a trickle – in fact, for the first time there were mid-term budget cuts in NREGA allocations. In addition, the political leadership was critical and spoke disparagingly about the programme and its potential. Modi’s scornful statement in parliament that he would preserve the programme as a “monument to failure,” marked an all-time low, from which it seemed like it would be difficult for MGNREGA to recover.  

Sustainable intervention

Mounting rural distress, created widespread protests. The message was clear and the perhaps wiser counsel in the government prevailed. As the MGNREGA has begun to revive, its achievements ‘over 10 years’ are officially recognised: as a cause for ‘national pride and celebration’! Perhaps, we can finally come to accept the MGNREGA as an important sustainable intervention to address ill-effects of drought, gross unemployment, and rural distress. It should now be a part of our political ‘national’ consensus. 

There are basic problems that still need to be addressed. People will only get work and timely wage payments when legally mandated financial allocations are made. Today, more than 15 states have a fund crunch with negative balances. 

While corruption has reduced, inefficiencies are widespread. Even with the funds that are released, in many cases, implementing agencies have failed to carry out their mandate – to ensure work efficiency, quality of assets, transparency in implementation, peoples’ planning, and effective social audit. 

Committed administrators have demonstrated how much of an opportunity the programme offers for empowerment, development and rural infrastructure. However, despite a legal framework, it

44

has been almost impossible to fix the accountability of implementing agencies. In one sense, that is the potential and the challenge, of the rights-based framework. 

The MGNREGA, along with the RTI, has been a pioneering example of the rights-based framework. The Modi government came to power questioning that framework. It is a paradigm that rests on the premise that the state has certain basic constitutional responsibilities to its citizens. Empowering citizens effectively can help them ensure that the programme benefits reach the right people in an effective way. 

Policy makers in this government have finally accepted that the MGNREGA has fundamental value. But words are not enough. Political imagination and resolve needs to be bolstered by adequate funds to ensure that rural workers can use the MGNREGA to ‘Make in India’ – and make it well. 

(The writers are social activists working in rural Rajasthan)

45

TAXATIONSTATESMAN, FEB 8, 2016A rational tax systemYuvraj Saharan

Introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be a crucial step towards tax reforms in India. Abolishing several central and state taxes and replacing them by one single tax will mitigate the recurring problem of double taxation and for the first time, create a common national market. Due to the federal nature of the Indian polity,  GST will be simultaneously implemented by the states and the Centre.  The Constitution clearly demarcates the taxation power between the Centre and states. Any new system of taxation, like the GST where both the Centre and states conform to certain common principles, thereby giving up their taxation rights, must be assessed against the principle of economic efficiency and the advantages that will accrue to states, the Centre and citizens by establishing a common national market.

GST will benefit the state and central governments as it simplifies the tax system, broadens the tax base, holds the promise of improving tax compliance and revenue collections and efficiently uses the administrative resources. Industry will derive several benefits from the GST. Some of the important advantages are low compliance cost for companies, simplified business processes, means of exemption instead of exclusion under the GST, and most importantly, no requirement of verification on the inter-state movements of goods and services.

Some of the prominent features of GST are:  it follows a destination--based taxation pattern and is applicable to all stages of the value chain, rather than being used to mark and tax goods at every stage of production; GST will be applied to taxable supplies of goods and services.  Thus all goods and services are likely to be covered by GST except  alcohol, electricity duty, real estate related taxes and petroleum products.  Once the GST is implemented, main central taxes that will be removed are central excise duty, service tax, surcharges and additional excise duties. Some of the important state taxes that will be removed are state Value Added Tax (VAT)/ sales tax, central sales tax which at present is levied by the Centre but collected by the state, purchase tax, luxury tax and entertainment tax.

The pending GST bill provides for the levy of Integrated GST on inter-state transactions by giving/conferring powers to both the states and the Centre.  Despite the improvements, which have been made over the past few years in terms of tax design and administrative costs, the tax system at both central and state levels remains cumbersome and complicated. Due to its needless complexity it makes many business transactions subject to disputes and court challenges. The process for dispute resolution is often slow and expensive and this makes the present tax regime

46

inefficient as it diligently suffers from substantial compliance costs, leaving aside the exception of highly organized sector.

The Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers described the GST bill as  ‘a further significant improvement towards a comprehensive tax reform in the country’. Thus GST has a potential to be the most important initiative in the fiscal history of India.  Once passed and implemented it can pave the way for modernization and reform of the present tax administration and increase voluntary tax compliance. The  current taxation system  creates a big burden on businesses that sell across state borders. This is the reason, in part, why India’s manufacturing sector contributes a relatively smaller share to its GDP when compared to other emerging economies.

Thus lamentably, India does not even have a free trade agreement with itself; let alone with countries across its borders. Apart from the lack of domestic free market, the division of fiscal powers between the Centre and the states has created a situation where the Centre taxes a commodity during production, wherein the State at the point of consumption. This arrangement gives rise to what is called  “tax on tax”, where the Centre taxes goods when they are ready to leave the factory, and the states target them at sale.

At the time of introduction of  the VAT regime, it was recognized to be the only feasible option within the prevalent framework of taxation, with promise of creating a more rational tax system in the future. In 2005, when VAT was introduced replacing the state taxes, it was considered to be a radical step forward in the reform of domestic trade taxes in India. The new GST will change the tax system and resolve the problem of dual taxation, where taxes are imposed by the union and states separately. GST will unify taxes under one umbrella. Financial experts argue that the GST will help the economy become more efficient by improving the tax collection, dismantling tax barriers between states, and integrating the whole market by a single tax rate.At present VAT is the highest contributor to tax revenues of state governments. With the introduction of GST, states are worried that it may curb their revenue generation capacities. To neutralize any expected revenue losses state governments are demanding compensation from the Centre. However, states’ revenue concerns can be addressed partially through suitable tax administrative designs and cooperative   agreements between the Centre and the states.

With liberalisation of the Indian economy, consumption and production of goods and services is undoubtedly increasing, and because of multiplicity of taxes in the current tax regime, administrative and compliance costs are being added on to the bandwagon of tax complications. There is a strong consensus amongst financial experts that GST will create a coherent and simplified tax system. In the long-term it should lead to higher financial output, better

47

employment opportunities, and therefore increase India’s GDP by 1-1.5 per cent. There is hardly any skepticism in economic/fiscal policy circles regarding GST’s efficacy and that it will give India at long last, a rational tax system. Although the way it really performs and its effectiveness would be bound by state-centre coordination and timely implementation.

Introducing GST is akin to making a fundamental reform on how the Indian market would work and opportunities for growth the Indian entrepreneur will have in the coming decades. Opportunity for a useful reform is hard to come by; the NDA government should not lose this precious opportunity in (national) party-politics. Economic growth is beyond the purview of any political party and is more in the realm of political economics.

There is a substantial consensus with regard to GST; thus in the prevalent economic conditions missing out on the opportunity of creating a united and pan-India market would be detrimental to the needs of  the economy and the entrepreneur.

BUSINESS STANDARD, FEB 8, 2016Redress taxpayers' grievances in 2 months: CBDT to I-T dept

I-T asks traders to pay advance tax rather than annual returns CBDT looks to connect with taxpayers online in smaller cases Govt extends due date for TDS deposit in Tamil Nadu CBDT to set up taxpayers lounge at India International Trade Fair

Terming as “unsatisfactory” the current pace of taxpayers’ grievance redressal process,

the Central Board of Direct Taxes   (CBDT) has asked the Income Tax   (I-T) department to resolve

these complaints within two months.

In a urgent missive to all regional heads of department, CBDT Chairperson Atulesh Jindal has

sought a quick resolution of these complaints, as it is a key area being monitored by the

government, with Prime MinisterNarendra   Modi pulling up the department on this front during a

meeting last year.

Recently, similar directives were issued to the Customs and Central Excise departments working

under the Central Board of Excise and Customs.

The CBDT boss has asked the tax department officials to take up this job "on priority" and report

back on its compliance.

While the total number of complaints pending in the I-T department are about 7,800, 81 are

pending for more than one year and 1,696 are pending for more than six months.

48

"Considering the fact that our Citizens' Charter clearly lays down that all grievances should be

disposed of within a period of two months, it is obvious that the overall progress on disposal of

grievances is unsatisfactory....

"In spite of repeated instructions from the Board from time to time, a large number of grievances

have not been disposed of withing the prescribed timeline of 60 days from the date of their

receipt," Jindal wrote in a recent communication to the Principal Chief Commissioners of the

department across the country.

He said that in view of this situation, it was necessary for the regional heads to "personally"

monitor these cases and direct their officers to attend to these grievances "on priority".

"The grievances are required to be redressed within a maximum period of two months of their

receipt. Further, if the finalisation of a decision on a particular grievance is expected to take

longer than two months, an interim reply is required to be given for delay in redressal of the

grievance," the newly appointed CBDT chief told his officers.

In order to ensure compliance, Jindal has asked that a report in this regard should be sent to his

office by the end of the first fortnight of this month by each of the regional IT heads.

The CBDT, the administrative body of the IT department, gets about 1,600 complaints every

month in its grievance database maintained centrally and taxpayers complaints largely pertain to

issues related to non-issuance of refunds, dispute in tax demands and PAN related hassles.

TERRORISM

STATESMAN, FEB 9, 2016Only justice can destroy ISISRobert Fisk

49

There are times in the Middle East when nightmares and delusions take the place of the real and growing tragedy which is consuming the Arab lands. More and more earnest are the calls for peace as more and more nations launch more and more air raids, from Kabul to the Mediterranean, and down through Sinai and Yemen and across to Libya. The bloodbath is real, yet no one plans for a future – for “Life after Isis”. By my reckoning, there are now 11 different national air forces bombing five different Muslim countries to “degrade and destroy” their enemies. But what comes afterwards?

History teaches us that for 100 years now, the people of this magnificent, dangerous region have sought justice and received only injustice. Foreign and proxy occupation, corruption and dictatorship – the hands of the torturer – have taken from them the one value which so many millions finally sought in the great Arab awakening of 2011: dignity. Yet what are we doing about this? Why have we never addressed the great historical injustices which have caused this human earthquake?

Instead, we conjure up imaginary armies – as if the real ones aren’t frightening enough. We dream up 35,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria when perhaps there are a thousand – and 20,000 Afghan Hazara Shia and hordes of Iraqi Shia militiamen in Syria and another 10,000 Hezbollah – and this is before we even remember David Cameron’s ghost army of 70,000 warriors ready to fight for democracy. The Turks are about to invade Syria, we are told, but they haven’t. Then there are the thousands of Saudi soldiers which our favourite Gulf monarchy is ready to send to Syria to fight Isis – although presumably they’ll have to leave their air-conditioned Mercedes limousines back at the start line. As for the Russians, I’m surprised nobody has yet suggested that they arrived in Syria with snow on their boots.

This is insanity. Europeans react with horror when a million refugees cross their borders – yet while it’s informative to know that Hungary thinks it is the frontier of Christendom, no one has suggested that we need to address the original problems of all these poor people. We obsess about persuading Turkey to stop the refugees and asylum seekers pouring into Europe, but without any long-term planning for a new Middle East which will reduce their numbers.

We blather on about how we are suffering the greatest movement of refugees since the Second World War. But in the Second World War (the real one), Allied leaders were planning for the post-war world – a “United Nations” – years before the end of hostilities. Today, I cannot find in my files any record of a single Arab or world leader who has spoken of what the Middle East might look like in the future. Why can’t we plan ahead now?

50

At the end of the First World War – the war which destroyed the Ottoman empire and crushed the last caliphate a few years later – many of the American diplomats in the collapsing empire and the NGOs of the time (they were missionaries then, of course) argued for one great Arab nation; one in which Muslims – and Christians and Jews and other minorities – would be citizens of a land which stretched from Morocco to the Mesopotamian-Persian border (the frontier of what is now Iraq and Iran). But of course the US lost its interest in such Wilsonian dreams, while the Brits and French had other plans and moved in to take the “mandates” of their choice.

Thus began the age of humiliation, of Western occupiers and local butchers and hangmen which stripped all these peoples of their honour. And now, 100 years on, we see its frightening apogee in the gruesome “caliphate” which is spreading Ebola-like around the world. But what the poor old Middle East needs now are not more air strikes, but an intellectual search by all those who still live there – and by those who have fled – for what kind of a homeland they want to live in.

What institutions can replace the broken ramparts of the old Middle East? What can replace, for example, the doggerel Arab television preachers who have so much to answer for, many of them encouraged by the Gulf rulers? How did Islam become so weakened by these people? An old friend of mine (a Sunni Muslim, if you want to know) put it very well to me at the weekend. “Islam is afraid of Isis,” he said. “Isis isn’t afraid of Islam.”

So for starters, why not plan for a new Middle East founded not on oil and gas – though they will remain – but on education? Not on dictators’ palaces but on universities; not on torture chambers but on libraries. Islam lay at the heart of the ancient universities of the Middle East. Scholarship was not dominated by Islam – faith and religion were themselves enhanced and enriched by knowledge. From education comes justice. And justice – only justice – will destroy Isis. This may sound preachy but I suspect it would make a lot of sense to the Arabs – and the Jews – who lived in Spain, in Andalusia, 700 years ago (until, of course, we chucked them out).

I have noted before that Abu Dhabi – abjuring the madness of Dubai – has placed a special need on first-class university education for its citizens. And across the Middle East, lack of education – a policy fostered by dictators, of course – lies like a cancer. For lack of education actually is a substance that spreads. Look at the tens of thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon who will one day return to their ruins without even the gift of literacy to pass on to their own future children.I cannot stand the old clichés about “when the guns fall silent”. But schools and universities are going to be more deadly to Isis than any air-strike. That’s how you deal with nightmares.(The Independent)

51

TRANSPORT

ASIAN AGE, FEB 12, 2016Odd-even phase 2 from April 15 to 30 in Delhi, says Arvind Kejriwal

52

Asserting that an overwhelming majority of respondents were in favour of the vehicle-rationing scheme, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday that the second phase of the “odd-even” scheme will be implemented in the city from April 15 to 30, and that women, some VIPs and two-wheelers will remain exempted from the restrictions. The Aam Aadmi Party government had conducted a public survey after introducing the scheme from January 1 to 15 to seek people’s views on reintroduction of the scheme.

The chief minister said his government was “seriously deliberating” on the idea of implementing the scheme for a fortnight every month, while admitting the city’s public transport was not capable of handling the huge passenger rush. “The scheme will be implemented from April 15 to 30. The board exams are getting over on April 12 and we will enforce the scheme thereafter. VIPs, women and two-wheelers will continue to be kept out of the ambit of the scheme,” he said.Under the scheme, private cars having odd registration numbers are allowed to ply on odd dates and those with even numbers on even dates. “The biggest argument in favour of implementing the scheme every month for 15 days is that an individual will not face trouble for more than six or seven days due to the nature of the scheme. If Delhi’s people support us, it can be implemented,” he said.

The chief minister said the Delhi Government is procuring 3,000 new buses, including 1,000 luxury buses, which will ply from December as part of the efforts to ramp up public transport. He said a two-floor elevated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors will be built to augment the transport infrastructure. The Delhi CM said 275 out of 276 mohalla sabhas (street-corner meetings) organised by AAP MLAs and subdivisional magistrates favoured a return of the odd-even restrictions.

He said the government had got feedback from people through emails, missed calls, interactive voice response (IVRS) and submission of online forms. “We received feedback through over 1.13 lakh missed calls, two lakh IVRS responses and 9,000 e-mails,” said Mr Kejriwal, adding that 53 per cent of respondents wanted the scheme back as early as February 14.

He said only 1,800 people said they would buy a second car to beat restrictions and that almost everybody wanted no exemptions for VIPs. “But I want to tell the VIPs we will not fight with you as we are often accused of. We would like you to follow the restrictions as shown by the Chief Justice of India,” the CM said. The public feedback exercise was done between January 26 and February 8.

Although there was unanimity that the scheme managed to reduce congestion levels, pollution data by several agencies were contradictory about its impact in the first phase. The CM said Metro ridership had gone up by only 0.4 per cent but buses saw a seven per cent jump in the first phase. He said private buses will be deployed in the city like in early January.

Mr Kejriwal added about 500 retired military personnel will be recruited to enforce the odd-even scheme in April. He said most people wanted the exemption given to VIPs in January to go. He

53

indicated he was not ready for this. “We will request VIPs to follow the (odd-even) system. But we will keep exemptions. The more the VIPs follow it voluntarily, it will be good.”

Earlier, speaking to a group of journalists at his residence, Mr Kejriwal said the odd-even scheme will be enforced only for short periods. “We can’t do it on a permanent basis,” he added.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

ECONOMIC TIMES, FEB 10, 2016Government stresses on waste management to achieve smart cities

54

NEW DELHI: Terming lack of proper urban planning as a "major" failure for the country, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today said the government will finalise comprehensive waste management rules next month to deal with the pressing problem. Addressing a Global Partnership Summit on Smart Cities here, the Ministers rued that cities "have been converted into slums" in the last seven decades and said it is more challenging to transform them into smart cities then building new ones. "Our single most failure after independence is in our urban and town and country planning. I wonder Nehruji bought great architects like Le Corbusier and built Chandigarh. But we never thought of waste management, sewage treatment and pollution," he said. The minister said this planning failure has to be corrected if the goal of smart cities is to be acheived. "In last 70 years, we have converted cities into slums.... We have to correct this planning failure. It is bigger challenge to convert the present city into a smart city," he said Noting that more than 80 per cent of the sewage goes into rivers due to unoperational treatment plants, Javadekar said government will make sure that the contractor who builds the plant be given the responsibility to operate it. "After 68 years of independence, 86 per cent of untreated sewage goes into water bodies, not only in Ganga but all the rivers. "It is because the contractor only builds the sewage treatment plant and it is operated by somebody else who usually complains about its construction. Now we have taken a decision that the contractor who builds it, will operate it too," he said. The waste management rules including plastic, hazardous, biomedical and ewaste management will be finalised next month, he said. "We are generating 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day of which only 9,000 gets corrected and 6,000 remains and will remain for centuries unless we manage it properly. "For the first time in India, we will come with separate rules for construction and demolition, hazardous, plastic and solid waste management rules," he said. On the issue of pollution, Javadekar said government has taken the decision to leapfrog to EuroVI standards of emissions, vehicles and fuel norms by 2020. "The government is investing Rs 60,000 crore to improve quality of fuel and it will be ready with fuel of Euro VI norms by 2019. It is the real game changer as it is a permanent remedy to reduce vehicular pollution," he said.

WATER SUPPLYASIAN AGE, FEB 15, 2016Arvind Kejriwal announces waiver of pending water bills

55

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a waiver on all pending water bills till November 30, 2015 as he presented a report card on the achievements of his government’s one year in office.

The chief minister said the city will now have a three-tier medical system and neighbourhood clinics will be set up in each locality. Besides adding new 8,000 new classrooms, he said, 11,000 government schools will also be revamped.

Every household regardless of being authorised, planned or unplanned, village, slum, unauthorised or resettlement colony, Mr Kejriwal said, will have water supply network and piped water by December 2017. The total value of the pending bills to be waived across categories is Rs 2,854.80 crore. The AAP government also decided to waive the payment of late fees and that will cost it another Rs 923.27 crore.

During the programme, Mr Kejriwal also listed the work done by his government. On education, Mr Kejriwal said his government is constructing 8,000 new classrooms which would be ready by July. “At present, 80-150 students sit in a classroom due to which it is impossible to impart good education to them. Our government is constructing 8,000 new classrooms and, thereafter, 45-60 students will sit in one classroom,” he said, adding they are also building 45 new schools.

Mr Kejriwal said his government took the “good decision” to abolish management quota under which private schools allegedly used to take lakhs of rupees from parents for granting admission to their wards. The government will construct 1,000 mohalla clinics and 150 polyclinics by the end of this year, he said. The revenue department has also abolished unnecessary affidavits which caused people to face a lot of problems.

Setting up of 300 mohalla sabhas, around 80 Aam Aadmi Canteens, rehabilitation of JJ cluster residents in multi-storey apartments were other announcements made by the AAP-led government. “The Delhi government is forming 3,000 mohalla sabhas across the national capital. Mapping of these mohalla sabhas will be prepared within 15-20 days. These sabhas will given powers (to take decision on development works),” Mr Kejriwal said.

The chief minister said the government also planned to rehabilitate people living in JJ clusters and they will be shifted to multi-storey apartments, adding that the government has identified five JJ clusters to execute the project in the first phase.

Giving an account of the work undertaken by the Delhi government over the last 12 months, the chief minister said that his government has not let a single penny of taxpayers’ money go “waste.”

“When we analysed water bills, we found these in a disarray as most water bills were prepared on an average basis without reading meters. It will be impossible to sit and correct these bills. In view of this, pending water bills till November 30 will be waived. The exemptions will be based

56

on property tax category areas,” Mr Kejriwal told the gathering organised to mark one year of the AAP government.

He said people living in A and B category areas will be given exemption of up to 25 per cent on their water bills and C category areas will receive 50 per cent exemption. “The D category areas will be exempted 75 per cent and E, F, G and H category areas will be completely exempted from paying pending bills. Late payment surcharge will be totally waived in all categories,” he said.

The chief minister said most people were facing trouble in getting correct bills and added that the recovery of water dues was almost “zero.”

He said the waiver will be only for those consumers who have a functional water meter. Mr Kejriwal and his entire Cabinet on Sunday took questions from Delhiites in a phone-in programme at the NDMC Convention Centre to mark the completion of the AAP government’s one year in power.

City water minister Kapil Mishra said there are around 19.5 lakh registered water consumers and 75 per cent of them will benefit from the scheme. “People whose water meter number is registered with the Delhi Jal Board will be exempted. Consumers who have a meter, but that is not registered with the DJB, will have to do the same to avail of the scheme,” he said. The city minister said he hopes that with this scheme, the menace of “fake water bills” is checked.

After coming to power, the AAP government had announced halving of power tariff for families consuming up to 400 units a month and free-water supply of 20,000 litres (20 kilolitres) to every household. Mr Kejriwal said that by the end of December 2017, every household will be connected to a piped water network and added that the AAP government had prepared a draft plan in this regard. “With the laying of water pipes in every area by 2017, there will be no need for water tanks. Except 45-50 colonies on government land, all localities will receive water through a pipeline,” Mr Kejriwal said.

On February 14, 2015, Mr Kejriwal had taken oath as the chief minister after the AAP won 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Mr Kejriwal said his government will set aside `800 crore to execute the project in the national capital.

Delhi will have to become the city where people can drink water directly from a tap and the DJB has been asked to prepare a plan in this regard, the CM said. “The DJB has promised that by 2017, clean drinking water will be supplied to the people of Delhi through its pipelines. The DJB will set up several laboratories in different areas where people can get their tap water tested,” he said.

Ashish Khetan, vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue Commission, an advisory body of the AAP government, said that by the end of this year around 80 Aam Aadmi Canteens will come up in

57

the city. “We will soon float tenders to execute the project,” he said even as deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia requested him to open such canteens in the DU campus. Mr Kejriwal said by May, rations will be distributed to people using biometric-based system.

Health minister Satyendar Jain said the AAP government will launch a drive against food adulteration in the city. “The government will soon launch a drive against food adulteration, which is aimed at creating awareness among people of Delhi,” Mr Jain said.

WOMEN

STATESMAN, FEB 8, 2016

58

Irani stresses good society-govt ties for women's safety Thiruvananthapuram

The safety of women can be a reality only if society accepts the need to have it and works together with the government, Union Human Resource Develoment Minister Smriti Irani said here on Sunday.

She said government can bring forward a legislation to end female feticide and harassement against women, but all these would become operational only if society accepts the need for women's safety.

"This will become a reality only if relation between government and society is good," she said.Irani was speaking at the valedictory function of the 'Sthree Swabhimaan Yatra', organised by Mathrusamithy, the women's wing of Kerala Kshetra Samrakashan Samithi (Temple Protection Committee) here.

Pointing out that the NDA government has initiated many women's welfare schemes with focus on their safety, she said the initiative under 'Mudra' scheme to extend bank loans up to Rs.10 lakh to them without security would benefit women and also empower them.

Similarly, the Jan Dhan yojana for women would also ensure their upliftment, she said.

Irani also said government wanted to expand the Sthree Swabhimaan Yatra to other parts of the country.

The yatra, led by Mathrusanithy State President Prof V T Rama began at Kasargod on January 24 and culminated here today.

Former BJP state president V Muraleedharan was among those present on the occasion.

HINDU, FEB 15, 2016A judgment for women’s rights

A Supreme Court Bench has once again proved that our judiciary can be the torchbearer of progressive attitudes towards women.

In 2013, the Justice J.S. Verma Committee, while responding to the horrific December 16, 2012 gang rape in Delhi, prepared a report that drew from the observations of members of the women’s movement among other sources. The report was heralded as one of the most comprehensive reports not only in India but in the world.

59

The judgment

The latest evidence of such progressive and informed thinking is a directive given to the Chhattisgarh government by a Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and A.M. Sapre. The Bench directed the State government to appoint a woman Excise Sub Inspector as Deputy Superintendent of Police after granting her relief in the upper age limit.

Richa Mishra’s name was not included in the list of successful candidates for the post as she had crossed the age limit stipulated for the same. As per the Chhattisgarh Police Executive (Gazetted) Service Recruitment and Promotion Rules, 2000, the upper age limit for appointment to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police is 25 years and Ms. Mishra had already crossed that age.

But the judges overruled this proposition by referring to another rule which was quoted by Ms. Mishra in the court: age relaxation as per Rule 8 of the Rules, 2000 which states, “there shall be age relaxation of ten years for women candidates for direct appointment in all posts in the services under the State in addition to the upper age limit prescribed in any service rules or executive instructions”.

The judges said: “It is to encourage women, hitherto known as weaker section, to become working women, by taking up different vocations, including public employment. It would naturally lead to empowerment of women, which is the need of the hour… Empowerment of women… is perceived as equipping them to be economically independent, self-reliant, with positive esteem to enable them to face any situation and they should be able to participate in the development activities.”

Message of the women's movement

For decades, the women’s movement has been underlining many important aspects of women’s role in the economy, as was outstandingly articulated in ‘Towards Equality: report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India’ in 1975. The movement has been highlighting the need to recognise the vital, if invisible and uncounted, role which women play in the economy and argues for their recognition in policy, data collection and programme design. It has been emphasising that economic agency or a livelihood is a critical requirement for self-affirmation. It also emphasises that economic power within and outside the household makes a difference to gender relations.

We see these thoughts resonating in this judgment which says that the agency, freedom and intra-household power of women are strengthened when women are given an economic value; when they are enabled to hold a position in the economy through employment. And by relating women’s economic empowerment to their ability to access, contribute to and direct economic development, the judges further expand on the value of their order. They state: “There is a bidirectional relationship between economic development and women’s empowerment, defined

60

as improving the ability of women to access the constituents of development — in particular health, education, earning opportunities, rights, and political participation”.

Scholars who have explored and studied women’s work, especially among the poorest in the most marginalised locales and communities, have been highlighting the importance of recognising women’s work, the importance of women as economic agents. These include those who try and understand self-employed working women and those whose work focuses on revealing the value that women bring to agriculture, food production, and the handicaps they suffer from lack of recognition. Further, activists have been detailing how women organise themselves to escape from various types of bondage, exclusion and exploitation.

During the preparation of the 11th Five Year Plan, women scholars highlighted the kinds of changes that were required to be initiated in the development, design and allocation of funding in the Plan if women’s roles in the economy were to be taken into account.

All this affirms what the judges said: economic agency is one of the most enabling elements to shift gender relations of power, to release women from the kind of oppression, violence and powerlessness that they experience. Women’s inclusion in the development design would enhance the outcomes of development it the self.

The message in this 38-page verdict does more than simply allow Richa Mishra to get her posting. It is an advisory to all the Departments of States at all levels, to Ministries, to Niti Aayog and its State-level counterparts, as well as to research and policy forums about the importance of women in the economy.

(Devaki Jain is an economist and founderof the Institute of Social Studies Trust, New Delhi.)

Economic agency is one of the most enabling elements to release women from oppression, violence and powerlessness

61