Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

By Joginder Singh

By Prof K L Bhalla

According to Sages ''The primary object of education is liberation from ego and ignorance''. Ego gives rise to all problems in individual and society. All wars were the result of ignorance of a person whether he is Duryodhan or Hitler. At present all conflicts and quarrels arise because the basic aim of education is ignored. It is held in Yoga Vasishtha ......more

The growth mirage

By S. V. Vaidyanathan

Only economic growth can take India out of poverty. In recent times, there has been a lot of discussion on how to increase the GDP growth rate. Rightly so, as in the 1970s and the 1980s by growing at a snails’ pace India lost a great opportunity and allowed many countries to get ahead of it. Many economists are talking of a growth rate of 7-8 per cent, significantly more than the 4-5 per cent one used to hear till a few years ago. The finance minister is also betting on growth. Many of his deficit projections are ....more

EDITORIAL

Confusion beyond
the Himalayas

Only recently we had in these columns urged the young and talented leaders of Leh that they should remain together. This was when the cracks had first appeared in the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) in the wake of the move of one of its influential sections to revive the local unit of the Congress. It is much evident that the situation is showing no signs of improvement. The LUTF is presently in the midst of turmoil which, to put it mildly, is completely avoidable. The reopening of the Congress office without even informing the LUTF leaders is casting its dark shadow on the fabled Buddhist unity in the trans-Himalayan district. Reliable reports indicate that those who don't agree with the decision to renew the multi-party politics have decided to keep the LUTF's identity alive as a unified political force. On the other hand, the persons behind the renewal of the Congress want that the LUTF should remain a common forum although chiefly as a non-political body to pursue the objective of winning a UT status for Ladakh. According to this line of thinking the LUTF's existence should not prevent political parties from professing their different ideologies. The pro-LUTF forces, however, can't help but notice that with each of its constituents moving in separate directions it would be an umbrella with plenty of holes. They are understandably angry that they have been bypassed so far. Should the Congress and the LUTF pursue their own agendas there is no doubt that both would come to harm in terms of popular support in the district. This is a practical reality. Their parting of ways will also not be without a touch of irony. For, the Congress and the dominant LUTF leadership have been one so far both in the Congress (till its branch was dissolved to become part of the LUTF) and the once-hyperactive Ladakh Buddhist Association to carry out their combined struggle for the UT status. It was because of their accord that they had been able to achieve initial success in terms of having a body called the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) for local governance. According to credible reports reaching here, the LUTF leadership is so anguished that it has already held a formal meeting in Leh vowing to stay in political business. LUTF chief Chering Dorjay, formerly a Congress member of the State Assembly, highly regarded Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhawang (who himself was a leading light of the Congress) and Thiksay Rimpoche (a formidable religious figure who has severed his long association with the National Conference) are among those who attended the get-together that has badly shaken the pro-revival Congress camp.

Prima facie it is clear that two developments are responsible for causing ripples in Leh politics: the LUTF's decision to join the coalition government in the State and the return of the Congress to power at the Centre. They have provided fuel for individual egos and ambitions. Recounting the past events briefly will lead to a better understanding of the prevailing scenario. Just before the Assembly polls in 2002, there was a surprise announcement in Leh that all political parties (barring the Bharatiya Janata Party) were closing their shops to form the LUTF which alone would contest the polls. Two parties suffered instantly because of this. One was the Congress that had already set up its senior leader P. Namgyal and Chering Dorjay as contestants for two seats in the district but had to beat a hasty retreat and withdraw them; the other was the National Conference whose ministers gave up their job. Expectedly the LUTF won both the seats unopposed. Its one winner Rigzin Jora became a minister in the Mufti Government and is currently holding the Cabinet rank. Gradually Mr Namgyal came back into the race with the help of both the LUTF and the Congress that backed the case of its old warhorse for being made a member of the Legislative Council. He is back in the Congress with a bang and is carrying out a party task in Sikkim these days. In sharp contrast, Mr Dorjay who was first denied the right to defend his Leh seat had the knife further turned in his wounds when as the LUTF chairman (he was abroad) he was overlooked and the Congress office was unlocked in his absence. In fact not only he but also almost all senior leaders who included Mr Namgyal, Mr Chhawang and Mr Tsering Samphel (he was made ad hoc chief of the revived unit), were caught by surprise by the timing of the announcement of reviving the district Congress. What have the sponsors of the resurrection drama gained? Clearly nothing except that it has brought into open the feud between Mr Jora, who is believed to have triggered the revival, and Mr Dorjay. Evidently Mr Jora has the full support of Mr Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor of the LAHDC. It is unfortunate that the same 'boys' should be exposed to the charge of harming a wider and well-intentioned cause that they have championed it all through.

Having been partners in a united fight for well over a decade all of them should have known the virtues of swimming together. They can't be unaware that a weakened LUTF will only damage the Congress and the Congress without the LUTF will lose one of its strongholds. By their actions they have willy-nilly conveyed a signal to the leaders of other political parties as well that they should give preference to their personal and partisan interests over everything else. How can the former NC ministers be blamed for thinking that they have been taken for a ride in the name of the LUTF and that they will do well to resume their party activity? Why should the other outfits like the People's Democratic Party not fish in the troubled waters of the Indus and plan establishing a unit in Leh in order to expand their base? Will the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had kept off the LUTF right from the start, not find justification for having taken the right decision at the right time now that it has escaped the embarrassment caused to the LUTF and its constituents at this juncture? Fortunately, there is still time for the Leh leaders to patch up. They have not irreparably broken their bridges as some like Mr Namgyal and Mr Chhawang have access to both the camps. What is surprisingly is the silence being observed by the Congress high command. Is it that it is unaware of the facts? Or, is it that it is being kept in the dark? Or has just it shut its eyes with the hope that the confusion not of its making will go on its own? On our part we are concerned that there is tension in a sensitive region in which the majority of leaders have always shown exemplary solidarity in the worst of periods. One can make allowance for diverse opinions motivated by principles but not for those guided by one-upmanship.

Crossing the thin line

By Joginder Singh

A CRPF constable, recruited in 2003 and posted in Jammu and Kashmir, was absent from the roll call in November this year. Absence from duty is a serious lapse in para military forces. Absence can mean anything right from plain negligence to running away or mixing with criminal elements; even escaping after committing a crime. Being a new entrant, he was reprimanded and given three days of ''fatigue duty'', a kind of punishment. On November 28, 2004, he fired indiscriminately in the CRPF campus killing a company commander, a sub-inspector, a head constable and four constables before he was shot dead.

Misconduct and even killing of policemen by policemen and of the public men is not uncommon. In the last two years, an army Major and a Colonel have been shot dead by the soldiers working under them. In October this year, a policeman was arrested for shooting dead a truck driver over the latter's refusal to bribe him.

A number of explanations have been offered for such incidents amongst personnel actively involved in combating insurgency. The security forces fight an invisible enemy who can emerge from anywhere and at any place.

The objective of the terrorist is to cause maximum damage. Unlike the terrorists, who can kill mercilessly, without any compunction, the members of the security forces are required to retaliate only when attacked. There is no compulsion of any law or requirement to ensure on the part of the terrorists that no innocents are killed. The only consideration of the terrorists is to cause utmost harm and erode the credibility of the administration and expose its inability to protect the common man.

Every year scores of security force and police personnel are killed in the line of their duty. In the year 2003-upto July, this year, 991 Policemen belonging to the State and central Police Organisations had lost their lives. In the previous year the figure was 963 and in 2001, it was 932.

Most lower level employees in the uniformed security forces have no option except to live in extremely substandard and stressful conditions. As per the Government guidelines, it is the duty of the state government to provide accommodation to the security forces when deployed for duty in their State. In actual practice the forces have to fend for themselves and quite often make do without the basic facilities of water, toilettes and even living accommodation. It is for this reason that quite often schools, rest houses or even hotels are used to accommodate security forces, much to the chagrin of the local people. Forget about the nice things of life, in some insurgency prone areas even green vegetables, TV or radio are a luxury.

The essential feature of Stress Disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic stress involving direct personal exposure to an extreme traumatic stress involving direct personal exprience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury or other threat to one's physical integrity; or witnessing an event that involves death, injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of another person.

Security forces, which are composed of people from all over the country and deployed in the terrorists affected areas, are not always familiar with the history, culture, traditions and geography of the area. Before deployment they are only briefed about the anti-terrorist operations in the concerned area.

There have been too many off and on Government operational orders. A simple soldier is not able to understand the niceties when one day the Government offers a cease fire operation and on other day it gives a reluctant go ahead to eliminate terrorism. They wonder how a terrorist or a criminal of one day becomes a respectable citizen and next day again he is a terrorist and third day there is another Volta facie. From time to time a terrorist is lionised. The unkindest cut of all is that secessionists and anti-national elements or those who provide protection or are the supporters of the terrorists or their umbrella organisation are provided protection by the Government. The same security forces which are fighting against the terrorists are asked to protect such elements from their supposed supporters.

It can happen only in India when the Prime Minister visited Jammu and Kashmir and announced a package of Rs 24,000 crore last month. His polite invitation to talk to any secessionist leader is turned down. The same terrorists leaders come to Delhi within weeks of the Prime Minister's visit and wait for hours to meet even the second Secretary of Pakistan High Commission, and later on, the Prime Minister of Pakistan in November-December, this year.

Swinging from one extreme situation to another leads to stress and confusion. The result is that people working in such an environment are always on the edge and fidgety. Any little action can ignite the peg of emotion. Moreover, unlike the local police who have the advantage of staying with their families, there is very little or almost no chance for the members of the security forces to have their family with them. Being away from the family for at least ten months in a year takes its own toll. The stress becomes acute because every act of the security forces, if not covered under the rules, is to be explained to the government. The rules of the game for fighting insurgency or terrorism are sleightened in favour of the terrorists or criminals because our laws or rues imply that let nine out of ten guilty escape rather than one innocent be damned.

The result of this approach is that in any case nine out of ten terrorists escape the dragnet of weak laws. The tenth also gets away in the din. So the security forces feel that their problems are not appreciated by the establishment. In fact, they are not involved in any negotiations or discussions when solving the insurgency or terrorist problems.

The State should do whatever it can. In the meantime, a close rapport between the officials of the security forces and men at the cutting level can do wonders. Some security forces are too huge with over 150,000 men and it is not possible even physically for its top leaders to be in touch with men. Small and self contained anti-insurgency forces for deployment in different areas of the country can be one possible solution.

One thing that government can do is to cut the red tape and provide at least basic amenities for the forces deployed in terrorist affected areas. It will send the right message that it cares and would address the concerns of those waging war on its behalf.

Of course, some contradictions of having a fortified state within a democratic polity will always be there when dealing with separatism and terrorism.

On their part, security forces need to shed arrogance which comes with carrying lethal weapons and a feeling that they can get away with anything. The leaders of the security forces need to show qualities of intellect, human understanding and moral character that will be an example to their people exposed to various stressful situations.

PTI Feature

Right Type of Education

By Prof K L Bhalla

''When the waves of self-will subside
Into the sea of peace that is the self,
The mind becomes still, the heart pure,
And illumination comes to us in this very life''.

It is also important that students should be given that education which helps them to stand on their feet. In the modern world there has been tremendous advancement and progress in science and technology. Our Rashtrapati time and again emphasises that by 2020 we have to build India which is self-sufficient in every field and it may serve as a model to le ss advanced countries.

The thing requires is to stress on all round development of student which will remain a dream if the fundamental aim of education is not taken care of. This is possible only by the efforts of parents and teachers. The first teacher of a child is mother. All great men had elevated mothers. In schools and colleges some sort of spiritual education must be imparted. It need not be bookish. It is well said that example is better than percept. The way parents and teachers behave goes a long way to tell children what they should do.

Life itself is an open school wherein at every we learn so many things. Again the question arises in a world where by and large we see stress and strife, confusion and corruption in almost all walks of life, the influence of people we meet will be most by negative. One should not bother about that. One should build one's own character. As observed by Cardinal Newman,'' Let us preach without preaching, not by words but by our example.''

One of the unsolved problems to educationists all over the world is the problem of freedom and order. Order is the very root of freedom. According to Krishnamurti. '' The years which a student spends in a school must leave behind in him fragrance and delight. This can only happen when teaching and learning is a simultaneous process where the educator and the educated are both participating. The teacher and the student function at the same level communicating through questioning and counter questioning--this will illuminate the mind of both.''

What is the function of education and is there a particular method of education? The student is taught a technique so that he becomes proficient and in that proficiency develops a sense of ambition. By teaching him a technique in order to find a job, he is burdened with its implication of success and frustration. He wants to be successful in life and he also wishes to be a peaceful man. His whole life is contradiction. The greater is the contradiction, the greater is the tension. The right type of education removes restlessness.

We must be very clear in ourselves what we want. The total human being is not the just technological human being. If we concentrate very much on examinations, on technological information, on making the child proficient in acquiring knowledge, while we neglect the other side, then the child will grow into a one-sided human being. When we talk about a total human being, we mean not only a human being with inward understanding, with a capacity to examine his inward state and the capacity of going beyond it but also someone who is good in what he does outwardly. The two must go together. That the real issue in education is to see that when the child leaves the school, he will be established in goodness, both outwardly and inwardly.

An enlightened educator would look dispassionately at his own personal vision and mystery before the shared vision process begins. We should communicate. We must be able to respond and inspire confidence. The teacher is to be mindful of the visions, goals and feelings of children he interacts with. He is to take care that he is watering the right seeds. This requires continuous hard work and introspection.

Teaching is a moral undertaking, it is not just a set of technical skills for imparting knowledge to students. It includes caring for children and being responsible for ther development in a democratic set up. Teachers need to think not just the means by which they teach but the ends they are teaching for. This places a heavy obligation on those who teach. Missionary spirit in required to achieve the desired end.

Education is of prime importance in the communication of that which is central to the transformation of the human mind and the creation of a new culture. A new mind is posisble only when the religious spirt and the scientific attitude form part of the same consciousness. The search for right type of education is a constant endeavour. While the teacher gives emphasise to the cultivation of the intellect, he lays far greater emphasis on a heightened critical awareness of the inner and outer world. The prayer of a student is summed up in the Upanished.

''Lead me from the unreal to the real

Lead me from darkness to light

Lead me from death to immortality''

The growth mirage

By S. V. Vaidyanathan

Many economists are talking of a growth rate of 7-8 per cent, significantly more than the 4-5 per cent one used to hear till a few years ago. The finance minister is also betting on growth. Many of his deficit projections are crucially dependent on the fulfilment of these growth assumptions.

Optimism is needed in abundant measure while taking up a challenging task. But a misplaced sense of optimism can be dangerous and lead to wishful thinking. India’s politicians and businessmen must realise that growth will not come just because we want to grow.

Growth needs vision backed by a lot of systematic, hard work. The CMP’s admirable goals—annual growth of 7-8 per cent, alleviating poverty, helping farmers, empowering women, raising spending on health and education and so on are so vaguely presented that it is like a child’s letter to Santa Claus. Everybody can pick a desired outcome from the list and believe that Christmas is coming.

Four factors drive economic growth—natural resources, human resource, capital formation and technology. The first factor provides a platform but it is the other three that drive productivity. The history of developed nations tells us that it is productivity improvement which frees resources that can be invested elsewhere. That creates a virtuous cycle of growth.

Indeed, the story of development is one of productivity growth. The only way per capita income can rise is through an increase in the marginal productivity of labour.

While natural resources can facilitate growth, they do not represent a sufficient condition. They have to be exploited effectively through efficient value addition. That needs technology, capital and human resource. The quality of human resource – the skills, knowledge and discipline of the labour force – play a critical role in generating economic growth. Improvements in literacy, health, discipline, ability to use computers, all have a significant impact on the productivity of labour. This calls for significant social sector spending. Unfortunately in India, this area continues to get inadequate attention.

Economic growth needs the accumulation of capital. Current consumption must be cut to drive up the savings rate. The savings rate is still low compared to many Asian countries. Also, the government must facilitate, the creation of social overhead capital such as roads, irrigation and water projects. The country’s infrastructure remains pathetic. The kind of investments envisaged, have just not materialised.

Economic policies will also have to focus on the improvement of technological capabilities through product and process innovations. Product innovations refer to the development of new products or service. Process innovations involve the development of new processes that facilitate dramatic increases in productivity. Rapid innovation requires the fostering of an entrepreneurial spirit, which is usually found in start-ups. This is facilitated by well functioning markets for both products and capital.

Entrepreneurship has to be fostered by encouraging people to take risks, open new plants, embrace new technologies and find new ways of doing business. The failure of the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector to take off reflects the lack of entrepreneurship.

This is a system failure not an individual one. When talented engineers migrate, the kind of support they receive, such as venture capital, greatly increases the chances of success in entrepreneurial ventures. With the government’s deficit already very high, private investments, especially foreign direct investments, will have to be attracted in a big way. Unfortunately, nothing much has changed on the ground. Foreign investors look for flexible labour laws, faster roads, better ports and reliable power.

Countries such as Malaysia, China and Taiwan are far more attractive in this regard. Also, especially when compared to China, India’s economic policies lack stability. The country’s politicians are capable of sending wrong signals. Without understanding the implications, they make all kinds of noises that confuse investors and create uncertainty.

To understand how good policies can boost growth, recall the days of President Ronald Regan, who succeeded Mr. Jimmy Carter. Inflation had climbed to 13.5 per cent in Carter’s last year while the economy remained stagnant. First, Reagan fought inflation by reappointing Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve and giving him full support.

But Regan did not stop there. He was a great believer in supply side economics, a school of thought which believes in providing incentives that boost both output and productivity.

On August 13, 1981, Reagan introduced his Economic Recovery Tax Act (Kemp-Roth Bill), which slashed taxes heavily. His message of competitive markets, entrepreneurial vigour and minimal regulation gave a massive impetus to innovation.

Deregulation had started tentatively under Carter in the airline industry, but Reagan extended it to energy and broadcasting and supported it with a dismantling of antitrust laws.

Under pressure from foreign competition, and with the anti-trust authorities looking the other way, mergers, lever-aged buyouts, massive restructuring and corporate raids took off in the US.

It was painful, chaotic and hurt a lot of workers, both blue and white collar. But in the end it produced a more competitive economy, with more innovative, nimble, and customer responsive companies. That is how the US left Europe far behind in the productivity race.

The proof of the pudding lies in the eating. Good policies must produce results. If one were to go by results, Reagan can rightly claim to have led the American renaissance. Reagan’s first term saw the creation of such companies as Sun Microsystems, Compaq, Dell and Cisco Systems which went on to become giants in the Information Technology (IT) industry. (Microsoft and Oracle had been formed a few years earlier).

For the US, this marked the greatest entrepreneurial burst of new companies, since the early 20the century. Following the 1986 Tax Reform Act, the marginal tax on top earners came down from about 70 per cent to 30 per cent. Oracle’s average tax rate declined sharply from 44 per cent in 1986 to 32 per cent.

There was a similar gain for Microsoft. Eliminating most of the exemptions and special tax breaks and shelters substantially made up the loss in revenue due to lower tax rates. Effectively, the government stopped trying to micromanage the economy and control investment behaviour.

The new policies supported knowledge based industries while cutting or eliminating tax benefits for traditional industries such as utilities. That is how Silicon Valley became a hot bed of innovation, creating hundreds of millionaires (many of them Indians) in the process. True, Regan cannot be given all the credit for America’s economic boom. Some of the seeds of growth were sown earlier and some later. In India, there are only tentative half-hearted measures. What the country needs are leaders who can stick their neck out and boldly champion the reform process. INAV