Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

Dr Ambedkar-- Educationist and reformer

By Ram Rattan Sharma

By Sunil Gatade

Glass is half full or half empty’, depends upon which way one looks at a certain thing and the attitude of the beholder. Ditto is the scenario at a time when the Manmohan Singh Government has completed half of its five year term on Nov 22. It is something unique because it is for the first time that the Congress has shared power at the Centre and its longevity so far has showed that the ........more

Saksharta Samiti
activities and SLMA

By R R Dubey

EDITORIAL

No time to relax

A news agency report about a Union Home Ministry paper on internal security situation directly concerns us in this State. It speaks of a nexus between anti-India elements in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohamamd (JeM) in particular are active in this regard. Their location is too well known to merit any elaboration. A third similar force is Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJAI) based in Bangladesh. One of their modus operandi is to recruit Indian youths for training in Pakistan and "Azad" Kashmir as the occupied territory across the Line of Control is locally known. After schooling in arms and indoctrination they are sent back to this country for sabotage and subversion. The soil of Bangladesh is being misused more of late. This is confirmed by investigations into recent terrorist actions including the blasts in Mumbai in July, serial explosions in Varanasi in March and the sensational attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore last December. Suspects in these instances are stated to have infiltrated from Bangladesh. This has led to the conclusion that there is increased use of the Bangladeshi territory by Pakistan intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed terrorist groups and the growing networking of Bangladeshi fundamentalist groups with LeT and JeM. The paper has been quoted as having noted: "These outfits are well organised, interlinked and have the latest hardware and communication equipment." Their current strategy is to maintain continuous flow of finances "to sustain local networks, target vital installations and economic infrastructure" and create mayhem in market places, public transport system, places of worship and congregations. One of their nefarious objectives is to provoke communal tensions. All this would not have been possible had the terrorist infrastructure in the neighbouring country and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir been dismantled which evidently has not happened. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) is one of the outfits benefiting from the ISI's largesse.

The Union Home Ministry is meeting the challenge by regular sharing of intelligence inputs with states. Emphasis is being laid on actionable intelligence to pre-empt terrorist activities. Special cells have been set up with this aim in view. These are being equipped with competent people having a mandatory tenure at least for five years. There is a strong view that each police station should be able to pick up the relevant information in its area of jurisdiction. Of course, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil have called for an assertive approach in this direction.

Although the State has not been mentioned by name it is only too well known that it is affected in every sense. All these terrorist outfits have been causing trouble on either side of the Pir Panjal for rather too long. HM may have ceased to be an entirely homespun group but it can't be denied that its known faces sadly are the sons of the soil. One can't really understand their eagerness to set their own house on fire. There is another disturbing fact that can't be brushed under the carpet. Whenever there is terrorist activity in any part of the country the needle of suspicion no more goes berserk: it is straightway pointed towards the State. It has become a launching pad and hideout for those indulging in the cult of terror. There have been quite a few disclosures by now of the militants having come all the way from Pakistan via Nepal to foment disturbance in the Valley. Given this scenario all that we have to do is to remain on our toes. Luckily the intelligence apparatus has recovered much of its penetration. The local police too has regained its touch to a large extent. These advantages have to be pressed home further. For, the time to relax has not come as yet.

Snow blesses

Last week has ended with cheerful news for the State. It has witnessed the first snowfall of the season. Famous tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, among other places, are covered with white blanket. It is seven-inch thick in the meadow of flowers as Gulmarg is known. Actually the snow all over Srinagar and its surroundings has lifted the spirits of those engaged in the tourism industry. Hopes have risen that they can look forward to a good winter trade. If there is no snow, there is no tourism around this time of the year. Hence, they are out of business. Snow thus gives them cause for celebration. It comes as a blessing. It brings tremendous satisfaction as well. It gives them an opportunity to earn their livelihood by dint of hard work. They make necessary arrangements for the comfort of those coming in from far and wide to loosen up in the midst of snow, snow everywhere. On the other hand, one can imagine the joy on the face of visitors experiencing snowfall for the first time. Their thrill knows no bounds. Those who see this natural bounty only once in a while feel equally inspired: they get a sense of excitement and bounciness. They just rush out of their hotels to have fun and play in an entirely new environment which they find invigorating. For some it is a regular routine to spend winters in a snow resort. There is no doubt that Gulmarg is one such perfect venue. It is not for nothing that it is globally famous. It is sad that the curse of terrorism has not spared such rare beauty either. For years together it was deserted for fear of invisible gun. During the last few years, however, efforts have been made to revive its winter glory with a degree of success. Its reputation as an ideal location for winter sport has got a boost. Had the militancy not intervened it would have by now got the status reserved for the best on the earth. It can still happen. Only if one and all lend a helping hand. For the time being one can only thank the administrative apparatus and tourist operators for doing all that is possible in the given circumstances. It is unfortunate that several others meadows in Pahalgam and Doda district have not got due attention. Whose bright idea was it to build huts right inside the main green patch of Patnitop?

This is one side of the coin. The other is that snow unsettles life elsewhere. Roads are blocked and flights are cancelled. Hundreds of passengers are left stranded. It is worrisome but is an altogether different topic. At this juncture let's revel in snow and its myriad gains. Let's hope that it keeps on falling for the sake of our shared prosperity.

Dr Ambedkar-- Educationist and reformer

By Ram Rattan Sharma

Dr B R Ambedkar who is mainly known as the founding father of the constitution of India, was deeply concerned with social issues and it is in this context that his contributions have been salutary and have got manifest even in the constitutional provisions and concerns. The lasting and profound interest for social issues particularly stern from his abiding facts and deepening concern for man and that too the weaker man. Dr Ambedkar is remembered for long standing and lasting contributions in Indian polity and history of constitutional development of the country. He was a champion of the poor and Dalits, fought tirelessly for uplifting the weaker sections. He has contributed towards equality in society and removed caste and colour bias and added dignity in life style for all. His contributions towards the life of a man on one hand and constitutional development of the county on the other hand has tried to generate ethos of classless society and free Indian culture. The work of B R Ambedkar hardly needs any introduction. The nation's highest decoration of Bharat Ratna was posthumously conferred on Dr Ambedkar for his contribution on April, 14, 1990 and his life size painting was installed in the Central Hall of Parliament. Dr Ambedkar tried his best to bring few improvements in the age old traditional practices of Hinduism but could not succeed. Dr Ambedkar's Sanskrit teacher refused to teach him the language and as such he had to offer Persian as a second language. Dr Ambedkar has written many books and contributed a large number of articles. Dr Ambedkar held many positions during his life time and was interested in journalism which he exhibited by starting some journals, moreover he was very fond of buying books for his personal library. His personal library which is presently housed in his Raj griha is perhaps the biggest personal library in the country. He was well read person. He was a man of conviction and developed desire to serve his people by sacrificing all his comforts and turned down great offers from the Govt. He attached more importance to education treated education as a very strong weapon for bringing desired social change. He understood the role of society in the educational process. He declared that the weaker sections and dalits need to be given better place to save the society from cruelties. He wanted equal facilities and opportunities to all citizens of India. He pleaded for equality of educational opportunity and treated education as an instrument of bringing social change.

He was of the opinion that education is not just a preparation for living but is continuous process. He believed that the specific goal of education should be truth, universal happiness and the class less society. Dr Ambedkar was a Massiah for schedule castes and down trodden and pleaded the issue of sending scheduled caste students abroad for higher education. Dr Ambedkar revelled against the existing caste system prevailing in India and felt that organisation, education and agitation would enable the dalits to reverse caste prejudices. He attached great importance to the education of the schedule castes and believed that education was more important for the depressed classes than temple entry and wanted to make higher education for scheduled caste students cheaper. Dr Ambedkar had a clear concept about various educational issues concerning the down trodden and believed that education is the birth right of every human being. He wanted to establish a democratic way in the system of education in true letter and spirit. His own experiences in life and discriminatory treatment at various places which he met from persons belonging to high castes compelled him to develop in him a tendency to work for the upliftment of untouchables and became prophet for the schedule castes to secure pol rights. He pleaded the cause of the schedule castes at various levels and was the first to raise the voice against repression of weaker sections of the society in this country. The historical happenings in this country prove that the caste system proved dangerous and efforts should be made to eradicate it from the society otherwise nation will be weakened. Education is the only long term answer for the development of the schedule castes. If one really means to develop scheduled caste and bring them above the poverty line. Their education has to be taken well care of even in the midst of many constraints and bottle-necks.

(The author is Dy Librarian University of Jammu)

‘Half Time’ for UPA Government

By Sunil Gatade

Glass is half full or half empty’, depends upon which way one looks at a certain thing and the attitude of the beholder.

Ditto is the scenario at a time when the Manmohan Singh Government has completed half of its five year term on Nov 22.

It is something unique because it is for the first time that the Congress has shared power at the Centre and its longevity so far has showed that the grand old party, despite being a ‘toddler’ in the art of alliances in New Delhi, has managed to traverse till the ‘half time’.

Another uncommon thing is that this is perhaps for the first time that the Government has been virtually enjoying a long honeymoon period. This is certainly to do with the image of the Prime Minister and also to the fact that Sonia Gandhi's choice of Manmohan Singh for the top job was impeccable in the given situation.

Despite all this, a quick look at the achievements and failures of the Government shows that while it is roses all the way in certain matters, bleak is the scenario in some respects--the glass is half full and half empty. India, it is said, is a land of paradoxes, so is the progress graph of the coalition.

The Government headed by an economist of international repute has consistently achieved a growth rate of eight per cent with the Prime Minister declaring and nauseam that India is an idea whose time has come.

But it is equally true that there is an agrarian crisis unresolved and there have been a spate of suicides by farmers in certain parts of the country including Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala as also in Punjab, once regarded as prosperous in farming. A financial package by the Centre has not alleviated things so far.

Its dispensation has also witnessed a booming stock market and an unprecedented rise in the FDI investments with ‘India’ being among the most favoured destination, the happening place amid forecasts that it would surpass the Chinese dragon by 2020.

The Special Economic Zones appeared to be the order of the day to catch and surpass the Chinese miracle even though controversies rage as to what would happen to the farmers whose lands would be acquired for the ambitious ventures.

The tribe of the Indian billionaires is growing by the day and the local industrialist has even started to have a global footprint and giving multinationals a run for their money.

At the same time, rising prices of essential commodities is also a reality in the era of Congress-led UPA which came to power swearing by the name of ‘aam aadmi’.

The Government is also being dogged by the controversy over ‘tainted’ ministers and the man heading it despite being known as ‘‘Mr Clean’’ and Mr Integrity’ has to turn a blind eye to criticism on the score due to strange ways of running a coalition- keeping the partners in good humour.

A strange thing being witnessed is that one of its senior Ministers, Lalu Prasad Yadav, whose track record in governance and administration in native Bihar was nothing to write home about, has brought about a turnaround in the Railways which is set to earn a whopping profit of Rs 20,000 crore this year. Yadav's detractors say this has all been possible because of the groundwork of his predecessor Nitish Kumar, who is now doing good work in Bihar as Chief Minister.

While the ‘tainted’ ministers are the albatross round the neck of the Government.

Prime Minister himself is under attack for not providing an assertive leadership with the opposition dubbing him the weakest among those who occupied the top job in the country since independence.

Added to this is the fact that the Prime Minsiter has to contend with ambitious ministers who feel that they have not got their due.

There has been no dearth of veterans in this Government which has ministers like Arjun Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram and Kamal Nath.

The cup of woes of the Prime Minister sometimes is full to the brim with the key outside supporters Left parties holding out ominous threats if Government fails to put brakes on the reforms path. The only pleasant thing is that the ‘barking dog has not bitten so far’.

UPA allies like DMK and Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Pawar’s NCP have their pound of flesh occasionally for successful continuance of the Central experiment which faced no major hitches till the ‘half time’. Afterall, power is a powerful glue.

Indo-US nuclear deal is being projected by the Prime Minister as his major foreign policy success despite the pact still to get the final nod from the American lawmakers. The deal as also the growing closeness of New Delhi with Uncle Sam has come under attack from the Left Parties.

The reservation of almost each and every variety is being talked about and thought of since the coalition has come to power as the ruling party feels that reaching out to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities would bring back its days of glory.

A redeeming thing for the Prime Minister as also UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was that the main opposition BJP was in a disarray and its problems with the Sangh Parivar are in no sight of resolving in the immediate future.

There has been no challenge to this Government on the political front.

The opposition will take its own time to get its act together. And therefore the next two and half years are needed to be utilized for consolidating its position through a series of measures that would really show that it cared for the common man, the farmer and the labourer.

Then only it would be time to say cheers after the 2009 General elections . Indian voter is subtle, sober but also a decisive one. He knows how to teach a lesson. ‘India shining’ is just one recent example.

(Sunil Gatade is Associate Political Editor with PTI)

Saksharta Samiti activities and SLMA

By R R Dubey

The need for basic literacy in India was first felt at the time of providing autonomy to the provinces in the year 1930 whereas in the year 1948 National Adult (Social) Education Committee headed by Sh Mohan Lal Saksena with KG Saiyidain, Prof. Humayun Kabir and Dr Mata Parsad its members under the Central Advisory Board of Education has defined many objectives of social education while highlighting significance of literacy, viz; functional literacy means self reliance in 3 R's, participation in the development process, skill improvement for economic status and general well being besides imbibing values of National integration, conservation of environment, women's equality and observance of small family norms.

Meanwhile, contents of social education became so old that it transpired as Non Formal Education in the year 1975 which gained its momentum even in villages & urban slums when J&K State Government had its full organisation at provincial level.

Need & Significance of SLMA at State Level

At present State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA) has its independent offices in various States in India where each of them exercises its functions like an architect to softly develop & wet the needs and requirements of every ZSS giving a twist from its own side formulating and revising the material as per norms & nuances of the society and people of the concerned area besides monitoring various activities of Zila Saksharta Samities.

In J&K State, Zila Saksharta Samiti offices were firstly opened in Jammu and Kathua district through the concerned District Magistrate as Chairman where in District Udhampur, the work was entrusted over a leading NGO DHAWA. In Kathua & Udhampur, no doubt, the target of Total Literacy has not been fully achieved yet keeping in view the miserable conditions of the State. Government of India has permitted to start PLP in a few blocks whereas in Jammu District, PLP Project proposal has already been submitted by the ZSS Office after getting its approval from the Chairman yet the Sanction is still awaited from Government of India. In Jammu District, till date, more than 193 Master-Trainers, 33 KRPs, 39 RPs and 2500 volunteers were given extensive training. The No. of AWW's remained 1385 who acted as volunteers besides the NGO's staff. The total no. of centres opened is 1457. Presently, 27696 beneficiaries have completed Primer-I and 27087 beneficiaries completed Primer-II and 15637 beneficiaries completed Primer-III. One lac nine thousand ten primers in toto were structured by the ZSS staff with collaboration of University Professors and eminent educationists under the guidance of IPCL committee of DAE, MHRD, New Delhi and one lac Primers have been distributed among beneficiaries.

A common strategy is to be evolved regarding Environmental Building & Motivational approach for beneficiaries, capacity building & volunteer spirit to be created among workers, developing curriculum, and curricula preparing modules for specific contentivity with guidelines for volunteers, organising seminars, refresher courses, workshops etc. to give excellence pursuit to the literacy programme besides preparing, publishing & procurement of study material as well as creating other infrastructural sources for smooth functioning of Literacy centres.

Eradication of Total illiteracy :

Most important people directly involved in developing literacy are the learners and the volunteers. We spend lot of money on training, honourariam or study material etc. but no incentive is being provided to these two. A job to a semi-educated volunteer and monetary incentive for learners in the form of cash or kind can bring more and more illiterates under the ambit of literacy. Hence, Post Literacy Programme in Jammu, Kathua and Udhampur in first instance must be started immediately directing SLMA to give proper direction to the derailed system of Literacy in Jammu & Kashmir State. However, due to decrease in the militancy, the people are becoming aware of literacy programme but they are still facing other numerous problems especially that of the people from rural areas for whom it is very difficult to earn livelihood due to poverty, unemployment & ignorance. Under such situation, even the extension agencies such as health, PWD, Social Welfare, Information & Education etc are not able to play their role for expected motivational approach. So the State Government has to really coordinate with the Central Government so that some concrete steps are taken for the eradication of illiteracy from the State. Therefore, a separate head office namely SLMA as desired by the Government of India. Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi at State level is to be essentially formed to obtain better results at grass-root level so that the Administrative, financiial, monitoring and evaluation work can be taken up by the State Literacy Mission Authority in J&K like that in cases of other States where at least twenty SLMA offices are functioning. This will also help to coordinate and integrate the Literacy activities among all the Districts of Jammu and Kashmir Province. Even the functions of Jan Shiksha Sansthan meant for imparting vocational training to working people and State Resource Centre meant for guidance & structuring primers at Regional level can be well corborated with literacy activities of all the Districts in order to eradicate illiteracy from the State of Jammu & Kashmir provided head office of the SLMA is opened one in Summer Capital Srinagar and other in winter capital in Jammu with the appointment of Director SLMA and Additional Director amongst from eminent educationists having their complete offices with suitable manpower under the amicable guidance of each Divisional Commissioner as Chairman for each Provincial office keeping in view the natural topography of the Regions. This controlling Agency will definitely help bringing 100 percent literacy among the children and adults of Jammu & Kashmir State. More to say, when Central Government. has devised a strategy to launch a skill development Campaign for semi-literate or literate men and women to train them in various vocations so as to ensure employment in their favour recruiting them in Govt or Private enterprise as per their capabilities then the motivational approach for all the illiterates can be activated only through SLMA.

(The author is Secretary J&K Saksharta Samiti Jammu)