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EDITORIAL Hurriyat's decision to take part in any meaningful dialogue with the Centre for permanent resolve of Kashmir issue is another step forward. The first step was the unilateral ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Vajpayee initially for the month of Ramzan. The second step has been taken by Pakistan which ordered its troops on LoC to observe 'maximum restraint' whatever it means. Defence Minister George Fernandes confirms that guns have become......more Prime Minister wants VRS to be in place in Government departments with the objective of reducing the work force by 10% spread over the next four years. There is no denying the fact that bureaucracy is top-heavy which percolates to the lower rungs proportionately. For quite sometime this has been talked about but none of the successive .....more |
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21 st Century - By Abrar Ahmed Naseem Chowdhary By Hari Sharan Chhabra Uncertain wisdom By K.P.S. Gill |
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EDITORIAL Hurriyat's decision to take part in any meaningful dialogue with the Centre for permanent resolve of Kashmir issue is another step forward. The first step was the unilateral ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Vajpayee initially for the month of Ramzan. The second step has been taken by Pakistan which ordered its troops on LoC to observe 'maximum restraint' whatever it means. Defence Minister George Fernandes confirms that guns have become silent and he is happy that ceasefire is holding. Next step is dialogue with Hurriyat for which decks are cleared by the Hurriyat's highest policy making body. Also included is the step that Hurriyat delegation would be allowed to visit Pakistan for talking to that country's rulers, interacting with PoK leadership and of course asking terrorist outfits based in Pakistan to cease their nefarious acts as they have inflicted immense wounds on the Kashmiri people all these 12 years of turmoil. Some days back Hurriyat leader had mentioned that it held the key to stop such jehadis from coming to Kashmir. One really does not know but if indeed they have this key, nothing can prevent Hurriyat from opening the lock of peace. It is also recorded that Hurriyat leader AG Lone has asked mercenaries to quit J&K and leave them alone for sorting out their own problems. Road map to peace is still in its infancy and yet to take concrete shape. Many hurdles have to be crossed. What Hurriyat would talk to Pakistan is not known nor any indiation is available about the likely response of terrorist outfits that have sustained the insurgency in Kashmir all these years. What would be the agenda. True, it is going to be a dialogue without any pre-conditions. Involvement of Pakistan at this stage is premature and that country would be talking through Hurriyat. In fact, that happens to be the only amalgam of 23 outfits which enjoys confidence of Pakistan. Again, it is not known whether dialogue with Hurriyat would precede its visit to Pakistan or would begin after its inter-action with Pak rulers and others across the border. Although resolution for entering into constructive dialogue with Govt of India is unanimous, there are several contradictions within the amalgam that have to be reconciled to put forth their case over the table. It is common knowledge that there are three opinions within the Hurriyat namely pro-Pak ailments who want merger of J&K with Pakistan, pro-independence and those saner elements who recognise their future with India as more safe, peaceful and pro-people. It is well recorded that India is a democracy where acute dissent, even secessionists, are tolerated.People are fed up with 12 year long insurgency which has ruined economy of Kashmir and caused bloodshed in every home. So message from people is that they want guns to become silent so that they can live in peace and tranquil environs like any other State. They want the fear of gun-wielders to be removed for good because then alone the State can move towards development and prosperity. People are not inclined to go the fundamentalist way nor lose any liberty like Pakistanis from whom democracy and right to dissent has been snatched away. It is recalled that Hizbul Mujahideen's ceasefire announcement on 24th August brought cheers to all Kashmiris. They greeted it as dawn of peace. The jubilant mood however proved to be short-lived since ceasefire was cancelled on September 8. This time round unilateral ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Vajpayee by and large holds and people have welcomed it. They are unanimous in making it permanent or at least extend it further. Hurriyat has thus received the message from the people loud and clear that to be acceptable to the masses, nothing should be done to sabotage the peace initiative. If Hurriyat pushes the peace agenda further as officially expressed by its executive committee, it definitely brings them closer to people. One can mention similar attempt made during the tenure of Jawahar Lal Nehru when Sheikh Sahib visited Pakistan to explore possibilities of lasting peace. But due to abrupt demise of Nehru, the entire scenario changed. Now Hurriyat delegation is slated to visit Pakistan with more or less identical purpose. At this stage it is difficult to surmise any conclusions about Pak line. But the ceasefire is holding and Pakistan has indeed observed maximum restraint on LoC. If only Hurriyat can pursuade them to withdraw mercenaries and stop abetment of terrorism, 90% of the problem is solved. The remaining 10% can be sorted out across the table with Hurriyat on the one hand and with Pakistan on the other hand. There ought not to be pre-conceived notions and all talks must be held free from rancour and acrimony. That will also be the stage to involve others in the State. One also has to take into account political stability at the centre consistency within the Hurriyat and Pakistan for all the subsequent steps. As on now, hawks are humbled and doves moving ahead confidently from all parties. That itself is a very positive indicator. Heavy odds, varying peceptions, pre-conceived notions and that upmanship exercise notwithstanding, things are moving step by step in the right direction. Prime Minister wants VRS to be in place in Government departments with the objective of reducing the work force by 10% spread over the next four years. There is no denying the fact that bureaucracy is top-heavy which percolates to the lower rungs proportionately. For quite sometime this has been talked about but none of the successive Governments have mustered enough of courage to go ahead. This is despite the fact that 5th Pay Commission had recommended downsizing of the establishment by 30%. In fact, all the increases and benefits for various sections of employees announced by the Commission were based on the premise that money saved from downsizing would be enough to meet the enhanced expenditure. Over-staffing indeed has the political blend. One instance is regularisation of fifty thousand railway casual workers in a single stroke when Paswan was the minister. Now P&T has put up similar demands for the extra departmental workers. It is this political expediency tuned to appease particular section that has made the bureaucratic set up heavy enough to be pruned. Government is elated at the success of two nationalised banks namely Punjab National Bank and Bank of India which offered VRS to its employees at all levels. The proposition was quite attractive and many opted out at all rungs. The incentive for VRS included two months salary for each completed year of service or full salary for the remaining service. Some people may think it exhorbitant but then there is no way out. VRS must be attractive enough because the employee has to changeover to another mode of earning livelihood. One really does not know whether it is Vajpayee's individual perception or it has the backing of the entire cabinet because issue has not been discussed in the NDA forum. Downsizing by 10% in four years means average exit of over a lakh of central government employees. Is the Government prepared to burden itself when deficit is already on the higher side? Has the Government weighed pros and cons of the VRS? In J&K too Chief Minister talked of downsizing by 30%. In reality workforce continues to increase, under Rehbar-e-Taleem scheme, under backdoor entry system, under ad-hocism. A lot of spadework is needed before Vajapyee can push his agenda under 'liberalisation' downsizing also forming an indirect part of it. |
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21 st Century - The Era of Biotechnology By Abrar Ahmed Naseem Chowdhary Biotechnology, in a layman's language, is the manipulation of living organisations by virtue of technology, for the welfare of mankind. It is a composite and most modern discipline of the natural sciences, having its roots spread over a range of the traditional, classical biology to the modern medicine, cryogenics and forensic sciences. The ‘British Biotechnologist’define biotechnology as "the application of biological organisms, systems or processes to manufacturing and service industries. According to ‘European Federation of biotechnology’, it is an integrated use of biochemistry, microbiology and engineering sciences in order to achieve industrial application of the capabilities of micro-organisms, cultural tissue, cells and parts thereof". The origin of biotechnology can be traced back to ancient times when micro-organisms were first exploited by man for fermentation, bread baking and wine production. Examples of microbe exploitation are available in early 20th century-Chaim Weizmann used Clostridium acetobuty licum for converting starch to butanol and acetone. The latter was an essential component of explosive in world war I. Similarly, the production of Penicillin, a vital antibiotic during world war II by Alexander Flemming (1929) was a great milestone in this area. However, the field of biotechnology, as a recognized discipline assumed significance only in 1970s & 1980s. The aims and objectives of biotechnology are diverse. The discipline has been under exploitation for the production of industrially important compounds, disease diagnosis, in medicine, applications in forensic science, agriculture development, metabolic engineering, drug development and designing, environment, upkeep & pollution control, sustainable energy resource production, bio-monitoring, molecular quarantine development and bio-prediction etc. In the field of medicine, the application of biotechnology includes disease prevention, diagnosis and cure thus has played a pivotal role. The production of insulin-a vital hormone that controls the blood glucose level, on a commercial scale, has proved as a sigh of relief for diabetics. Manufacture of nutritional food through single cell proteins (SCPs) and detecting food contaminants though molecular probes, purification of drinking water through DNA recombinant technology, providing immunity against disease through vaccine production, fertility control, production of interferons and the monoclonal antibodies are the other landmarks of biotechnology in the field of medicine. Development of special diagnostic tools like ELISA (enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay) and other involving use of LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) and the development and use of gene therapy deserve special mention. In India, during 1990-92 may patients suffering from lethal disease were subjected to gene therapy and appreciable results were obtained. Immuno-purification of antigens using monoclonal bodies which involves separation of a specific antigen from a mixture of very similar antigens, has proved as an important tool in the advance vaccine development. Synthesis of antigens through cloned genes is another big achievement in medicine. Cloning of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes, through plasmic and E coli bacterium has led to the development of vaccine for Hepatitis-B. The latter has been approved for mass vaccination in India and other countries. In the field of agriculture, biotechnology has brought a real revolution. The production of transgenic plants of important crops with special emphasis on disease resistance, stress tolerance, heribicide resistance & yield have proved to be a boon to the agro-technology. Commercial production of bio-pesticides & bio-fertilizers using eco-friendly microbes is a technology of great advantage in terms of cost as well as the environmental security. These biological chemicals replace the artificial fertilizers and pesticides thus paving way to minimize environmental pollution load. Like agriculture, the animal husbandry and livestock development also has a lot to thank the modern bio-technology. Production of transgenic animals, so as to eventually use them as bio-reactors to produce drugs through their milk blood or urine is the latest advance in this area. The latter is often referred to as molecular farming. Cryogenic preservation of semen & its transport to distant places has contributed in hybrid development and breed improvement. Similarly, the artificial insemination & embryo transfer technology are the other important landmarks of biotechnology in this area. Industrial microbiology, is yet another area of biotechnology, which has received a considerable attention of biotechnologists in the recent years. Production of enzymes and particularly thermostable enzymes by using genetically engineered bacteria has changed the face of pharmaceuticals & drugs industry. This is by virtue of a new technology which is under consideration & which can work at higher temperatures while at the same time retaining their functional integrity. The process of fermentation, on micro-technological levels has led to the large scale production at cheaper standards of enzymes (lipases, amylases, rennin etc) organic acids, and other compounds of microbial origin. Through the process of bio-transformation microbes are used to convert the low cost substrates to high cost value-added products. Besides microbes, single cell cultures are utilized to transform the chemical compounds from a less active or inactive form to more active form e.g, the cell cultures of Digitalis lantana, are used to convert digotoxin to methyl digotoxin which is used in the treatment of heart diseases. Similarly, Datura cell cultures are used to convert hydroquinone to arbutin, which is used as diuretic & urinary antiseptic. The advancements in the field of biotechnology has provided a new life to the forensic medicine. DNA fingerprinting, antibody fingerprinting developed by Alec Jeffreys (1986) and techniques developed by AK Franker (1988) are proving a great boon in forensic biology, for identification of criminals like murderers & rapists, through the study of DNA or antibodies from blood & semen stains, urine, tears, saliva, perspiration or hair roots etc. The role of this technology can be estimated by considering the one year old case of Neena Shani (the wife of a prominent Delhiite Congress leader) who was murdered by throwing in tandoor. After destroying all evidences, it was the DNA fingerprinting technology only which finally led to the modus operandi of murder & detection of the accused. Apart from this, the use of this technology is in vogue at the international scale to hunt & try the criminals involved in the inter-country disputes. The successful operation of ‘metabolic engineering’ has provided a unique spirit to the industry for harnessing the metabolites & compounds of biological origin. Since, the naturally evolved metabolic networks of the cells are slow & not so efficient to meet the expanding demand of industry and therefore huge raw materials & cost factors are involved. Thus, by virtue of metabolic engineering, the natural metabolic pathways of cells are manipulated by introducing heterologous genes & regulating elements so that the metabolites are over-produced in less time and low costs. Efforts in this area are vigorously continued to achieve an unending success. Biotechnology has a vast potential for dealing with the environmental problems. Environmental biotechnology is concerned, both with the implications & applications of biotechnology in the wider context of environment. Due to rampant industrialization, urbanization & other developments, there is a constant threat to the clean environment & to the depleting natural resources. In order to keep the environment clean, biotechnologists have been striving on various lines. In paper industry, the current paper bleaching technologies are replaced by a better & eco-friendly technology. The latter is based on the application of a lignin degrading & modifying enzyme (LDM) isolated from a bacterium. The dangers of pollution by the use of oil-based chemicals in plastic industry are removed by using enzyme-based approach. Similarly, the industrial effluents and waste water are treated by the development of anaerobic bacterial mechanisms. Large scale work has been done on controlling pollution by developing the bio-degradation methods to treat the waste. At the same time, the use of biotechnology-based bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers (BGA & bacteria) and bio-herbicides have automatically minimized the pollution load caused in the water bodies by the use of artificial chemicals. The latter reach the human system through crop fruits & grains & thus interfere with its metabolism in a major way, often leading to characteristic syndromes & health hazards. In the clean-up of environment, I further suggest the identification & wide-spread plantation of transgenic trees which may possess the genetic make up for absorbing & neutralizing the deadly environmental gases. At present, the biotechnology is in fact a monopoly of west, particularly the USA, Japan, & Europe are the best leaders in the world, in this domain of science. In the USA alone there are more than 235 reputed companies of bio-technology (cetus, hybritech, Biogen etc are a few to name) In India, the first step in the direction of biotechnology was the setting up of National Biotechnological Board in 1982. The latter was the result of joint recommendations of 69th Indian Science Congress (1982) and Scientific Advisory Committee to cabinet (SACC). Its functions are to act as an inter-ministerial co-ordinating agency & to accelerate the pace of development in the frontier & emerging areas of biotechnology. In view of the significance which is attached to biotechnology, a separate department of Biotechnology in the ministry of S&T was established in 1986. Similarly, the ICGEB established under the auspices of UN with one of its centers in New Delhi is also feeding the discipline luxuriantly. The Center for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and National Diary Research Institute (NDRI) and Biotechnology Center JNU are doing a pioneer work in the area of biotechnological research. In Jammu & Kashmir, there is a well-established biotechnology department in Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Jammu. The onus of establishment & growth of the said department lies on the head of Dr G N Qazi, the Chairman of the said Division & also the Director, RRL, Jammu. The department has a vast array of the most advanced techniques in enzyme technology, Fermentation & other microbial technology. The department has a vast potential to meet the aspirations of the students & scholars of not the state only but the whole India. The division has developed an efficient fermentation technology. If has passed on several products to the industries. The center having latest information on natural sciences predominantly bio-technology, beside being used by the internal scientists and scholars, is catering to the needs of students, Scholars and scientists of various universities and research establishments. Going by the success, the biotechnology has achieved in a brief period of two decades, and also keeping in view the growing dependence on this area of natural sciences, one not only suppose but is forced to consider 21st century as the age of biotechnology. The latter can be justified by taking just a single (but excellent) example of the human genome (sequencing) project (HGP), the draft of which has partially been released to press recently. The deciphering of the human genome promises to identify, diagnose and treat many deadly diseases like cancer and AIDS and many in born metabolic errors and lethal syndromes. It will enable scientists in predicting the occurrence of sex and other pre-birth genetic anomalies in babies and their correction thereof or the termination of delivery if so required. |
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Uncertain wisdom of policy -makers By K.P.S. Gill India has, in various measures, suffered from terrorism for almost five decades, and from a proliferation of immensely virulent movements since the late 1970s. Yet, for all the planners and policymakers, for all the talk of longterm perspectives and of pro-activity, I am not aware of a single document in the archives of the Government that could be passed off as a counter-terrorism doctrine. Policies focus on transient crises, and each initiative cancels out the gains of some other. Inevitably, despite innumerable battles won, the war against terror seems perpetually "unwinnable". The situation in Assam substantially reflects the consequences of the absence of a coherent larger perspective. Despite the all-round weakening of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the end of terrorism is nowhere in sight. It is a fact that the ULFA has lost virtually all mass support, and its cadres - including some of its senior-most leaders - are rapidly abandoning the organisation in complete distillusionment. Over 1,740 ULFA cadre have already surrendered in this year alone. The ULFA is under extreme pressure throughout the State, and under some pressure in its safe heavens in Bhuttan as well. And yet, the organisation has succeeded in striking again and again over the past weeks, killing dozens of innocent civilians. It is ironic, in this context, that a movement that began as a protest against illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh now finds its targets chiefly among the Hindu settlers in the State. In past six weeks, 116 "Hindi speaking" persons have been allegedly gunned down by the ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) killer gangs. But then, Assam is full of such contradictions. A great deal of what is happening in the state is a consequence of certain perceptions that have been established in the minds of the people through decades of propaganda, and in the minds of policy makers and the executive agencies of the state through sheer inertia. One of the elements that lends itself to popular confusion is the discourse on the "threat" to the "identity of the Assamese". Assam has seen wave upon wave of migration through the centuries, and it would be as difficult to identify the "original" inhabitants of the region as it is of most other parts in this country. Yet, the surface assimilation of these migrant populations has been substantial. Almost all the people of Assam speak Assamese. There is a significant sharing of cultures, of ways of life. Yet, this linguistic and cultural assimilation has not yielded any coherence or unity within the social system, and Assam remains a deeply divided society. These schisms are deepened constantly by the inability of the local people to extricate themselves from a discourse that became rigid, repetitive and completely stagnant decades ago. We thus find seminars and discussions enthusiastically being organised at the local level (one of the recent ones was at Jorhat) on the subject of "Defining the Assamese Identity". The main task is increasingly shifting towards a massive effort to bring these diverse people together, and little appears to have been done towards this end. The first precondition of such an effort is the existence of a political consensus on the issue of terrorism, and the current agreement between all political parties in the State suggests that such a consensus is being built. More significantly, it is imperative that the local administration be involved, in its totality, in the task of reconstruction and in the creation of an atmosphere of peace in the state. This needs to be emphasised as strongly as possible. This was a responsibility that the police and civil administration shouldered routinely before the administrative decline of the past decade and a half. I recall that, even at the height of the Students' Movement in the early Eighties, the police and civil officers were in constant dialogue with various groups, often mediating between polarised parties to maintain the peace. It is essential to revive these practices and processes. It is now time to go beyond merely fighting the terrorists, to mending the damage of the past. Another point that the recent escalation in violence hammers home relentlessly, is the fact that even a dying group can keep a terrorist movement alive indefinitely, as long as it can retain a few dozen committed cadres and maintain a safe haven abroad. That a few dozen cadres will always survive is no longer a consequence of any ideological strength in these movements, but of the enormous incentives that the economies of extortion and terror create. The fact is, terrorism pays, and pays handsomely. Consequently, there will be a strong need to deal with terrorism by use of narrowly targeted and overwhelming force. This creates the problem of the almost complete absence of legal cover, on the one hand, for the forces and personnel engaged in fighting terrorism, and, on the other, of the inability of the legal system to effectively deliver justice in cases involving terrorist crimes. This is not a problem unique to the North-East, but one that afflicts all theatres of conflict in the country. Another area of ill-conceived and counterproductive policy that needs to be reassessed is the schemes for surrendered militants devised by various state governments and supported by the Centre. To my mind, these schemes, as presently defined, create utterly unrealistic and unjustifiable expectations in the minds of those who surrender, and display a far greater concern among our political establishment for the welfare of the terrorists, than they do for the security and welfare of the common people. The Centre currently supports a scheme that offers graded cash rewards and "stipends" to militants who surrender, as also soft loans to set up a business and vocational training as well. There are reportedly some 5,000 surrendered militants in Assam, and many of them have taken to claiming that the promises of rehabilitation have not been fulfilled. There are also reports of the SULFA resorting to extortion and other crimes on an organised basis, and a complete unwillingness on the part of the police and the political establishment to curb these activities. The entire system is entirely beyond justification and, I think, even comprehension. In the Punjab, during the terminal phases of the terrorist movement, the police actively encouraged surrenders by terrorists, and the campaign met with enormous success. In most cases, the surrendered terrorists were simply allowed to return home. The law was allowed to take its own course in the case of those who were accused of heinous crimes, and the police was far from vindictive. Nevertheless, no financial incentives were ever provided, nor did the state act as if it owed a debt of gratitude to these offenders because they had decided to abandon their criminal activities. The current surrender schemes are often justified on the ground that unemployment will drive the surrendered terrorists back into militancy. But this should be an argument for the generation of greater employment for all youth, rather than an argument for preferential discrimination in favour of those among them who choose to resort to terrorist or criminal violence. It is widely conceded that the Punjab economy has suffered a dramatic downslide, that the fragmentation of land holdings and the lack of industrial development has created large pools of the unemployed. Yet, the absence of "pensions" and "rehabilitation packages" for the surrendered Punjab militants does not appear to have pushed them back into violence. The lesson has been learned: violence will not pay. Unfortunately, the uncertain wisdom of policymakers in the North-East (and in J and K as well) is communicating precisely the opposite lesson. Violence does pay. And after it stops paying, or after it has paid enough to create incentives for "retirement", or after exhaustion has set in, surrenders can be made to pay as well. The entire policy creates incentives for individuals to join the ranks of the terrorists, if only to surrender shortly thereafter. It is high time that at least a part of the counter-terrorism establishment in this country extricated itself from the imperatives of the moment and the crises of each new day to make a holistic reappraisal of what we have being doing, to clearly document our successes and failures, and to identify the fundamentals that must guide future policies and initiatives. INAV |
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