EDITORIAL
Need for care
Does any development on
the militant front astonish us in this State? In fact the
surprise will be if it does. Gun-totting marauders have a
wicked agenda. There is no clause in their evil copybook
that they have not implemented on either side of the Pir
Panjal. Many sane voices have become victims of their
firepower. Some of the militants have shown the audacity
to communalise the Valley in particular. To our
collective misfortune they have succeeded to an extent in
this behalf. They have erased quite a few best-known
symbols of Kashmiriat ironically while claiming to swear
by it. On one occasion or the other the modern symbols of
progress have evoked their ire separately and jointly.
Cable networks, cinema halls, hotels and bars and
restaurants largely catering to tourists had to be shut
down following their diktats. Even today some of the
places of genuine entertainment are no-no. A liberal
atmosphere marked by the dignity and self-respect of
women especially has been sought to be soiled. There were
crude bids to enforce the wearing of burqas. The
militants had made it difficult for basic facilities like
public telephone booths to function. Several educational
institutions were scorched. A few of those run by
Christian missionaries were badly hit. There was no
consideration for their rich contribution to the birth
and expansion of formal learning in the Kashmir region.
Indeed, a message was sent that they should wind up their
shops and move away. One could also notice a streak of
planned economics working off and on. It appeared as if a
class of militants had emerged working at the behest of
business houses to pursue their interests. The suspicion
in this regard was beefed up in the manner in which they
enforced ban on the use of one brand or the other
including of vehicles. The self-styled Robin Hoods came
up just because they had arms in their hands. What was
really tragic was that there had come a time in the
nineties when the local boys gunned each other under two
different banners. Scores of them were liquidated in
street fights.
Over the years there has
been a positive development. The majority of local boys
have pulled themselves out of the gun culture. They have
realised that they had been taken for a ride by the
forces inimical to their land and culture. At present
only those are active in the field who are believed to be
part of a vicious global scheme being carried out in the
name of Islam. They were on the job earlier as well. It
is their chosen path to put harmonious social and
religious ties all over including in this State under
strain. They had first exposed themselves to the full
glare when they had set the holy Charar-i-Sharif shrine
on fire. They are intolerant of Sufi emblems which are so
representative of our State. How can they be expected to
have any respect for places of worship belonging to other
religions?
Therefore, the report that
two of them were planning a strike at the Vaishno Devi
cave, of all sacred places, should not come as a shock.
They have been stopped in their tracks. In no event,
however, we should lose our cool because that is what
their actual aim is.
Basic difference
What would have happened
had India not been partitioned in 1947? The question was
raised during an enlightening discussion at a book
release function in Lahore recently. A British politician
with sub-continental background felt that there would
have been democracy all over the united country. However,
a Pakistani politician did not agree with this view.
Instead, he remarked rather poignantly: "Our army
would have imposed martial law all over India". It
does appear strange that the two neighbouring countries
emerging out of the same British colonial rule had taken
to entirely different paths. India adopted democracy to
emerge as the world's largest. Pakistan on the other hand
continues to be run by its army. Is this not amazing
despite a strikingly identical background? Admittedly
India had a major benefit in the formative years after
Independence. Those leaders (like, for instance,
Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Maulana Azad) led its
destiny who had taken active part in the freedom
struggle. Nehru, who was the most charismatic of them
all, also lived the longest to sow the seeds of
democratic dedication. By his own conduct he had set an
example. On the other hand, Muhammad Ali Jinnah passed
away early leaving the country he had conceived in lurch.
There was no other leader of his stature who could have
stepped into his shoes. However, the Lahore get-together
saw another piercing query: would the scenario have been
dissimilar in Pakistan had Jinnah survived as long as
Nehru? One comes across a surprising answer which is an
emphatic no. According to this version the picture would
have been the same had Jinnah lived even today. This
theory is based on the premise that Pakistan consisted of
areas which were used by the British rulers to recruit
their army and plant feudal elite to collect revenue from
the vast land it made cultivable with a massive canal
system. The two classes mingled with the British Raj and
Pakistan inherited them. They had no inclination to give
up their original character. Not surprisingly, therefore,
every political leader up to Mr Nawaz Sharif was
dislodged by a military commander. In sharp contrast
India, according to this hypothesis, acquired
industrialised areas as a result of which it had a strong
business and middle class which was always motivated by
the desire to get rid of imperialism. What made matters
worse for Pakistan subsequently was the dominance of mullahs
after the anti-Ahmadia movement in 1953-54. The first
martial law was imposed in Pakistan as early as in 1958.
Afterwards the nature of Pakistan changed from "a
social-welfare state to a national security state and
India was declared as an enemy to justify this
shift".
Proponents of this thought
believe that the hope for Pakistan lies in reversing the
course set by its army. The rulers of the country must
give up their "obsession with national
security". They should come to grips with realities
like the loss of half of the country, confrontation
"over Kalabagh dam and army action in
Balochistan". Democracy, on the other end, has
enabled India to cope up effectively with its problems
including those created by insurgency and terrorism. Will
Pakistan learn from such frank comparison?
Protection
of forests
By G L
Khajuria
Like varieties of
culture, custom and creed, India
is vested with a variety of
forests extending from the
Himalayas to Kanya Kumari in
North South and from Assam to the
desert of Rajasthan in the
East-West. These forests occur in
different climatic regions of our
country. More than 5,000 of trees
species, 10,000 kind of herbs,
and more than 600 species of
mammals 5,000 of birds and more
than 4,000 reptiles are existing
in our forests. These give
kaleidoscopic colours when
viewed.
Since time
immemorial to the present day
they have been worshipped.
History is there which shows the
beauty of our forests in past.
When Ramayana was written, dense
forests have been described in
Panchvati and Chitrakoot and in
these forests Rama haunted the
golden deer and Rishis and Munis
had attained salvation. When
Alexander invaded India, in 326
B.C. dense forests have been said
to be existing and also in the
chronicles of Chinese pilgrims
mention dense forests in the
birth place of Lord Krishna
Delhi-Patna highway plantation
was done by Sher Shah Suri and
the Mughals created exquisite
gardens. Ain-en-Akabri describes
dense forests and Jahangir
planted Chinar trees in the
Kashmir valley.
"The forest is
a peculiar organism of unlimited
kindness and benevolence that
makes no demand for its
sustenance and extends generously
products of its life activities,
it provides protection to all
beings, offering shade even to
the axeman who destroys it."
Undoubtedly, the
forests were rich in the past,
but these were quite
unscientifically mismanaged. As
per the demand of people, these
were more than adequate. Rightly
it is said, "When population
increases, demand go up at
sputnik speed." It was,
therefore, felt in later stages
to make the forestry more
scientific and well managed.
Hence, this practice of
scientific management came into
existence with the coming of Sir
Dictrich Brandis as the first
Inspector General of Forests in
1864. Under his able guidance,
Forest Department was created in
various forest provinces. The
forest officers did well in
forestry and gave impetus to its
development.
In 1947, when India
became independent, the
responsibility came over the
shoulders of the youth, who
without hesitation shared it
cheerfully and boldly to protect,
grow and advance the standard of
forestry practices. In 1950, the
first Vana Mahotsava was
inaugurated and on this
auspicious occasion, the then
Food and Agriculture Minister, K
M Munshi, said that in India the
best and noblest in Indian
culture was born in Asharams
where the ancient founders sang:
"May the gods, the water,
the plants and the forest trees
accept our prayers and may their
blessings protect for ever, and
ever". Also, he reminded the
nation that if it had to survive,
the philosophy of life must be
understood and rewritten, not
only in words, ideas or
achievement, but in terms which
would replant us firmly on the
earth and under the shady tree.
With the pace of time, more
progress was done in forestry by
the introduction of new types of
Silvicultural operations,
preservation of wild life,
conservation of soil and
afforestation of wastelands. Our
forests are the green gold which
yield rich dividends, multiply
its productivity as remarked by
the late Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
"I wounder sometime if there
is any natural resource which
give us so much and of which we
know so little as forests. There
is, therefore, good literature to
enlighten the common people about
India's forest wealth."
Our forests are
abundant both in major and minor
forest produce. Sal, teak and
coniferous which yield about 60%
timber production. In the year
1970-71, it was estimated that
total out-trun in the industrial
wood was 9,121 thousand cubic
metres, in fuel 22,814 thousand
cubic metres.
The role of minor
forest produce in the economy of
the country is so important that
the word "minor" is
really misused. Grasses, bamboos,
canes, resin, rosin, oleoresin,
tars, dyes, fibres, essential
oils, paper, rayon, drugs,
spices, poisons, insecticides,
edible oils, beedi leaves, gums,
flosses, shellac, tanning
material, perfumery,
pharmaceuticals, beetle leave,
kutch and katha include the more
important minor forest produce.
In the year 1970-71
bamboo extraction was 3,500
thousand tones, Myrobalam nuts
173 thousand tones, tendu leave
4218, Pine resign, 50.8, katha
and kutch 7.6, Sal seeds 366.0
thousand tones. In MP State only,
tendu leaves fetch a revenue of
Rs. 12 crores annually. Bamboos
and grasses constitute about
3/4th of raw material and pulp
and paper and rayon industries
previously employed about 4 lakh
people. At present there are more
than 59 paper and pulp boards, 14
fibre boards and newsprint
factories.
The attention of the
Government is fully focused to
maximize the forest area,
afforest the waste lands,
concentrate more and more on the
latest 'silvicultural operations'
so as to protect and extract the
wealth hidden in the forests.
Forest research Institute, Dehra
Dun and other Regional Research
Institutes are doing their best
to make the forestly more
scientific and well-managed.
Government has also expanded the
staff so as to make more
supervision over this wealth.
Our forests are also
vested with beautiful animals,
birds and reptiles. There more
than 500 species of mammals,
2,100 species of insects. Among
the mammals are black buck,
leopard, clouded leopard, fishing
cat, golden, langoor, Indian
lion, wild ass, Indian wolf,
Kashmir stag, musk dee,
rhinoceros, tiger (our national
animal) and wild buffalo. Among
the birds are cheer pheasant,
Great Indian Bustard, mountain
quail and pea-cock (our national
bird).
Forests, unlike any
other natural wealth, are
ever-renewable recourse. Their
protection and preservation is an
important as our life is to us.
But these forests are dwindling
and diminishing. The
indiscriminate feeling of trees,
the rapid change in the forest
habitat and ruthless killing of
wild life have already resulted
in the extinction of many of the
animals and birds. Though these
cannot speak, still these cry for
protection and preservations. To
every forester, it is first and
foremost duty to dedicate wholly
to protect, grow and enhance the
natural wealth which are
forefathers have left to us. Not
only it is necessary for
foresters but every Indian should
be aware and should pledge to
protect and enhance this natural
wealth which stands enunciated in
the Constitution of India.
The plants and the
forest trees are no less than our
children, their extinction is the
extinction of our forthcoming
generation. Why to dwindle and
diminish our face, the future of
our motherland, India!
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High
cost health holds world in bind
By Suraj
Saraf
High cost
of health is dogging the whole world not
sparing even the developed nations.
Conditions in India are among the worst
as revealed in recent studies. With an
increasing realisation that health is a
crucial asset in the economic
development, there's a clamour world-wide
about the high cost of medicines and
pressing demand to reduce it to
affordable levels.
On one
hand there is one state of the art
developments in the health R&D, on
the other hand they are adding enormously
to the health cost. Even common medicines
are registering rising costs. No wonder
that there is a world over search for
strategies to lessen the burden of health
expenditure.
Two
studies conducted by world bodies in
India have brought forth startling facts.
The study
conducted by the Institute of Development
of Communication, a city based research
body, was sponsored by the World Health
Organisation.
(OOP) Out
of Pocket funds used to healthcare
expenses, constituted 7.34% in the city
areas but rose to 24% of the family
income in the relatively poor house-holds
in the village and slums in Chandigarh.
While
analysing the sources of these OOP funds,
it was revealed that for the entire city,
24.46% came from the past savings and
borrowings but in the villages and slums
this proportion rose to 46% of which 20%
was from borrowings.
The study
had also worked out that of the Rs 218.6
bn spent on healthcare during 2003-04,
31.36% was incurred by the Government and
remaining was OOP expenditure by private
households.
According
to IDC director, this study highlighted
the serious implications for
restructuring the Government helathcare
system making it more friendly to those
who needed it urgently. It also
underlined the need for making healthcare
vehicles to become more efficient,
accessible and viable. The study was also
vital especially because of the
increasing concern for working out viable
strategies for bringing healthcare under
the social security and safety net.
Another
earlier study undertaken by the World
Bank and commissioned by the Union
Government, had underlined that spending
on private health providers amounted to
over 80% of all health spending by
Indians. It is one of the highest
proportion of the private spending on
health in the world.
It also
said, ''The bulk of disease burden is
placed on the poor, on women and on
scheduled castes and tribes. Poorest 20%
of India have more tan twice the rates of
mortality and fertility compared to the
richest 20%. The study registered growing
income based health polarisation.
Hospitalisation
frequently means ''financial
catastrophe'' for the family of the ill,
said the study. Added that more than 40%
of those hospitalised need to borrow
money or sell assets to cover medical
expenses. In fact, hospitalised Indians
spend about 58 of their total annual
expenditure on healthcare.
Another
crucial point made by this study was at
bottom among the 20% of countries in
rlation to Government spending on
healthcare which had stagnated below one
per cent of the GDP (despite repeated
prononcements by an successive Government
to raise it substantially). Much of that
money is also ''tied up in salary
expenditure, leaving little room for
essential drug supplies, operations and
maintenance''.
The
challenges for better healthcare in India
underpinned in this study are greater
accountability of service providers,
lower costs and greater equity in
accessibility to health services.
However,
it is not only India being dogged by high
health cost. Recently a report was
prepared by WHO for the European Union at
the time '' of mounting debate how
Governments should deal with runaway
healthcare costs.''
The report
underscores that European Governments,
regulators and drug companies need to
rethink their strategy to the supply of
new medicines if gaps in pharmaceutical
coverage are to be filled. It points out
that market mechanisms often fail to
provide incentive for badly need drugs
and manufacturers frequently do not align
their research with society's real needs,
''Little effort is made to determine
'value for money' for Pharmaceutical
innovations''. Result was lack of
medicines in key areas that could make a
real difference to people's lives and
save large sums in medical costs.
Even a
super rich country like USA is also
feeling the trouble in respect of high
cost of drugs and it has started a public
debate on that score. As pin-pointed in a
report from USA. ''The cost of health
care is exploding, the number of
uninsured is growing (according to an
estimate there are already around four
crore people unable to resert to health
insurance. Consequently they do not get
proper health care). Corporations that
still povide for employee coverage are
groaning under the strain.'' According to
another report American politicians had
become so perplexed about how to deal
with prescription drug prices, that the
best solution they could offer is to
effectively import a Canadian law-by
buying drugs subject to Canadian
Government price control-rather than pass
one of their own.
Drug
brands in India have proliferated to
menacing proportions affecting seriously
drug prices and also proving big hurdle
in rational and efficacious treatment of
diseases. Repeated pleas to regulate drug
brands and resort to generics to meet
both challenges via cost as also quality
of healthcare, has fallen on deaf ears
and drug brans still go on increasing
rapidly.
Another
important factor escalating drug prices
is the high cost research in drugs. To
introduce a new drug costs as much as USD
500 million besides taking extra long
time and strenous effort. It is also well
known that multinationals escalate the
R&D cost purposely for making heafty
profits for the pattented products when
introduced in the market.
It is also
pertinent to mention here that important
role of traditional medical knowledge in
lowering the health cost has been almost
completely ignored.
The
problem of high cost health has been
mainly precipitated by the allopathic
medicine, also referred to as modern
medicine, which is being preferred word
over against the traditional systems, by
Governments alloting maximum finances for
it and neglecting the indigenous medical
systems. This is in spite of the fact
that people are more and more veering
round to the traditional systems even in
advanced countries has repeatedly
emphasised the need to utilize the well
established local systems along with
allopathy.
''The cost
of medicare is emerging as the second
commonest cause of rural indebtedness in
India'', under-pins the report. It adds
that emerging brand of public health
disasters is being fuelled by Government
abandoning responsibilities towards
preventive healthcare, combined with the
associated problems of growing
urbanisation, climate change and
environmental degradation.
Medicines
used in indigenous systems are admittedly
not only cheaper but also more suitable
especially for the locals. India is
fortunate in having a well-established
health system since heary past viz
Ayurved, using by and large herbal
medicines. It would be much less time
consuming and also much less costly if
modern scientific research is directed to
finding the active contents for disease
for which these herbals were being used
for so long.
Indeed, if
his agenda for medical R&D had been
followed, the problem of high cost health
ould not have stared people in the face
as intensively as now.
Merely
controlling the drug prices can not
deliver the goods because in the first
place there is a limit to that and
secondly trying to control drug prices
has always created serious problems as
being observed now, too.
Result is
that the issue regarding bringing lot
more drugs under price control stands
undecided and meanwhile manipulations by
drug manufacturers and market forces are
determining the drug prices and people
are simply greening hopelessly.
As
emphasised by President APJ Abdul Kalam
the other day there is dire need for
research aimed at finding affordable
(drug) solutions to region-specific
diseases. ''We will have to find
effective drugs against the problems that
prevail in our country'', he had
emphasised.
The point
emphasised by President Kalam is also
important in respect of drug prices, too.
As also stressed by WHO in its report for
European Union, inter alia dealing with
drug costs and relevant drugs, ''Little
effort is made to determine ''value for
money''. Result is there is lack of
medicines in key areas that could make a
real difference to the people.''
PTI
Feature
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The
illusive US arms bazaar
By Atul Cowshish
Two roadblocks
await the forward move in the Indo-US bilateral
relations early in 2006. First, the issue of
nuclear cooperation with India may look more
uncertain than before with the non-proliferation
Ayatollahs in the US and its Congress becoming
increasingly hostile to the idea of extending
that cooperation with India. An equally big
irritant may surface when Washington sits on
judgement on what items from its inventory of
sophisticated offensive arms to sell to the two
major rivals in South Asia-India and Pakistan.
The arms sales do
appear to be on, if for no other reason than the
fact that the US arms industry is in desperate
need of buyers. One thing that can be said with
some certainty, going by past experience, is that
the US will 'balance' the arms sales in the
sub-continent. This is something that will please
the client state of Pakistan and disappoint those
in India who swear by a transformed US that is
said to be sincere in befriending us.
'Balance' in US
sales of arms to India and Pakistan has always
meant a tilt in favour of Islamabad. The US now
claims that it is cultivating a new post-cold war
relationship with India outside its bilateral
ties with Pakistan. But that will not prevent the
old US theory of 'balance' being put into
practice.
Only the cover
will change: voices are being heard in Washington
that by selling arms to India, Washington will be
fuelling an arms race in an area where both the
rivals are armed with nuclear arms. And as the
self-appointed monitor in the sub-continent, the
US should not sell any 'offensive' weapons to
India, says a powerful lobby, which has a clear
anti-India bias.
With plenty of
cash flowing from abroad and pledges totally
nearly $6 billion after the devastating October
2005 earthquake, Pakistan will certainly be
encouraged to buy latest arms from the US which
in any case has pledged a $3 billion economic and
military package as a trade off for 'cooperation'
in the so-called war against terror.
It may be recalled
that in 2003, the US had offered Pakistan a $9
billion arms package. Washington also rewarded it
in March 2004 by elevating it to the status of
non-Nato ally by virtue of which Pakistan becomes
eligible for soft loans for leasing the latest
American weapons and equipment for research and
development purposes. It can expect speedy
clearance for import of US arms.
As always,
Pakistan has a long shopping list for arms that
it is seeking from abroad. US vice president,
Dick Cheney, and defence secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, had made 'unannounced' visits to
Pakistan in quick succession to assure the
military rulers that they continue to enjoy
American affections and their roguish activities
will continue to be overlooked. The Americans are
not going to raise the question of priority for
quake relief should Pakistan announce its plans
to buy huge quantity of arms and equipment from
the US in 2006.
What is more,
nearly every item that Pakistan wants may be made
available to it. The US had lifted the arms
sanctions on Pakistan soon after 9/11 attacks on
New York and Washington by Islamist terrorists
(who had a Pakistani connection too). At that
time the main item that Pakistan wanted to buy
from the US was a fleet of 16 F-16 jet fighters
that, in fact, had already been contracted for.
Since then Pakistan has considerably expanded its
shopping list and included nearly all the items
that India too is keen to buy from the US. These
include P3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft,
PAC-3 anti-missiles and electronic warfare
systems.
In May 2005, the
Pentagon had informed the US Congress that it
would let Pakistan buy 300 'Sidewinder'
heat-seeking air-to-air missiles and 60 Harpoon
missiles. Their total value exceeds $225 million.
Pakistan has also expressed a desire to buy 75
new models of F-16s. Under the excuse of fighting
Al Qaeda fugitives, Pakistan has already received
many sophisticated surveillance and military
equipment from the US free of charge.
India too has
shown interest in buying a large American variety
of new arms and equipment. But the Bush
administration is yet to take a decision on what
it is willing to sell to India. The US decision
is not entirely driven by commercial
considerations when it relates to sale of certain
arms and equipment to India that Pakistan alleges
will disturb the 'balance' in the sub-continent.
That India's defence and security needs cannot be
judged with the Pakistani prism does not matter
to the decision makers in Washington.
A 2003 agreement
between India and the US that goes by the
grandiose name of 'next step in strategic
partnership' is meant to enhance bilateral ties
in various fields, including military. To be
sure, the US has 'offered' cooperation in many
strategic areas, including the sale of some
sophisticated arms.
Nothing big seems
to be in the pipeline even after almost three
years of this new relationship. The US allows the
veto right to Islamabad in the sale of any
'offensive' weapon of US make or design to India,
even if that equipment is manufactured in a third
country.
India's interest
in US weapons is part of the process of
diversifying the sources. India is no longer keen
to put all its eggs in the Russian basket after
it was found that spares for many vital Russian
equipment were not available easily or in time.
But India continues to be more interested in
purchasing defence equipment from suppliers who
are willing to transfer technology. This is
another no-go area as far as the Americans are
concerned, if it means transferring cutting-edge
technology to India.
In the name of
civilian nuclear cooperation with India it
appears the US is going to transfer-the Congress
permitting-- nothing but dated or untested and
untried technology. India can hardly expect
America to be generous in selling its latest
'offensive' armed equipment unless it can sell
the same to its MFN ally in the region.
(Syndicate Features)
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