Afzal Guru exposes all !
TALES OF TRAVESTY

By Dr. Jitendra Singh

Whatever the merits of the judgement in Afzal Guru case, it has helped serve atleast one important purpose. It has inadvertantly exposed the real agenda or the hidden agenda of key players on the Kashmir scene.... from Farooq Abdullah to Mehbooba Mufti, from Yasin Malik to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, from Ghulam Nabi Azad to Lal Krishna Advani. Simultaneously, it has also exploded the myth of vain idealism that thinly masks the timidity and chicanery of socalled ‘‘freedom fighters’’ or ‘‘Mujahideens’’ apparently championing the cause of Kashmir's independence. And, incidentally, it has also left bare a pathetic lack of reasoning on the part of certain sections of press as well as certain socalled intellectuals associated with local media or local universities.

It offers an interesting case study to scan some of the following statements in the light of Afzal Guru follow-up.

First, the stand taken by Farooq Abdullah, the irrepressible National Conference patriach who had only three years ago made a serious bid to secure mandate for becoming the President of India whom the constitution acknowledges as the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces as well as the custodian of Indian constitution. According to Abdullah, the Hon’ble Judges, who followed the law of land in delivering death sentence to Afzal Guru, run a serious risk of being assassinated by Pak sponsored militants and this should be a reason enough to commute Afzal Guru's sentence.But, would Dr Abdullah explain why, as stated by him only a month ago, he was opposed to the NDA Government's decision to release Masood Azhar after the Kandhaar plane hijack and what is his compulsion today to favour liniency for Afzal Guru when he didn't favour any liniency for Azhar? And, why did Dr Abdullah not oppose Azhar's release as long as his son was a Minister in the BJP-led NDA Government and why does he today come out in support of Afzal Guru when his party is vying for upmanship with PDP in a bid to get back to power ? The firebrand PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti wants clemency for Afzal Guru in the interest of socalled peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. But, would Ms Mufti ever explain to what extent the release of hardcore militants to secure release of her kidnapped sister Rubaiya 17 years ago had helped restore peace in Kashmir Valley ?

Syed Ali Shah Geelani appeals to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to stop oil supply to India in order to pressurise the Govt of India. But, would Mr Geelani answer whether he has ever paid from his pocket for the oil that runs a fleet of staff and security vehicles provided to him by the Govt of India ?And, a word about Afzal Guru himself. If he is a true ‘‘Mujahideen’’, why should he not, like Sardar Bhagat Singh, gladly accept the death sentence and take a pledge from his little son that the latter would also grow up to become a ‘‘freedom fighter’’ like his father ? Can Kashmir ever win independence or ‘‘Azaadi’’ through timid ‘‘Mujahideens’’ like Afzal Guru who sends his wife to the President of India to plead for mercy and prompts his son to request the President of India to help him become a doctor ?

Lal Krishna Advani, the BJP veteran and leader of Opposition, vociferously demands hanging of Afzal Guru. But, would Mr Advani recall that he made a vehement suggestion to bombard terrorist training camps in Pak occupied Kashmir when he was in the Opposition last time but no sooner did he become the union Home Minister he facilitated release of several hardcore militants including Masood Azhar? Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad favours liniency for Afzal Guru because now his constituency is Kashmir. But, would Mr Azad recall that as union Minister he had day in and day out called for stern action against Pak sponsored perpetrators of violence over Kashmir ?

The problem with media commentators and socalled intellectuals is that most of them are either guided by their own vested and pecuniary interests or subjugated by militant's gun. It is thus at a certain personal risk that a piece like this is written to lend voice to the mute common man taking cue from Umapathy's   undefeated desperation which gathers strength from Kaifi Azmi's verse ‘‘ Agar Doobna Hi Hamaari Kismet Hai To Zaroor Doobenge, Magar Lekar Rahnuma Ko Saath ......’’

Agriculture extension functionaries

By Dr. Narinder Paul

The agricultural production technology generated by the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and research institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will be of little use unless taken to the farmers’ field by the agricultural extension machinery. The basic function of agricultural extension functionaries is to take the knowledge of the improved agricultural technology from the source of its origin to the farmers and feedback for the same. He acts as a link between the technology generators and users. He has a very vast public dealing with the farm families in the area of jurisdiction and has direct link with the farmers. The grass-root level agricultural extension professional is designates as Junior Agriculture Assistant (JAA) in J&K. He frequently keeps liaison with the farmers, farm families and involves personally with the farm activities of the farmers.

Convincing farmers to make use of a new agricultural practice or intervention seems to an easy task to a layman but it is an intricate one. Farmer is psychologically involved in deciding about the new agricultural practice or idea and this set of processes is termed as "innovation decision process" by the extension professionals. Farmers have to take decision keeping in perspective his past experiences, marketing trends, financial conditions, family and household needs etc. During innovation decision process, farmer judges the information very succinctly and credibility of the extension worker becomes the first criterion to weigh the effectiveness of the agricultural technology/innovation being introduced. In simple words, credibility of the extension worker is the degree to which the farmers perceive him as trustworthy and competent.

An extension functionary wins the trust and confidence of the farmers with a very hard work. The field extension functionary achieves the credible status with the dent of work. While working with the farmers many constraints come in between; as it is not easy to work with the humans and that to of variable attributes of education, social status, economic aspects etc. Farmers trust the extension worker so long as he perceives his/her message credible in terms of what they say and what actually happens in terms of technology. But all the set credibility is shattered many times either due to the improper technology or due to other reasons. A very simple example is that sometimes farmers report the poor crops due to the seeds provided to them through the public sector extension delivery system. Generally when the seed or other technological input is introduced, extension functionaries are told to diffuse it among the farmers. Extension functionaries take the information provided to him by the input-introducing agency to the farmers. Extension worker is not an agency to check with the information. He cannot assess the quality parameters particularly of genetic attributes. There are some other specialized agencies for determining the quality parameters of the agricultural technological intervention. But extension worker in the front and producing agency is behind the scene. So, whenever something wrong happens to the introduced technological intervention, farmers think it is the fault of extension worker and not of some other agency. Many times extension workers have to hear the abuses of the farmers under such conditions. If a poor technology is introduced by labeling it as good then who is at fault? Obviously not extension functionary. But strange whose credibility is eroded? ……of extension worker.

Carrying out extension work needs specialized assistance to the extension functionaries. Methods of teaching, of presenting information, and of organization as well as the subject matter, are some of the kinds of specialized help required. The specialists in the various subject matter fields give such specialized help. These subject matter specialists must keep the grass-root level workers informed on research developments and interpret the data/information so that it may be properly applied towards the improvement of farm, home and rural conditions. But when specialist fails to provide the authentic information, to the workers below, the basic extension workers are left in lurch.

An extension worker acts as a two-way bridge and conveys the message regarding the technology to the farmers Framers have nothing to do with the person behind the scene. They only know the extension worker and in case of any mis-happening to the technology, they go to the extent of blaming the extension worker. Extension workers are made scapegoats and what happens to his/her trustworthiness among the farmers is an open story. The concept of salesmanship is quite different from that of extension. The representatives of different seeds and pesticide companies are misleading farmers for a short time to achieve their targets by providing them hollow promises of high yields. In short run they manage to mislead farmers but in ling run the credibility of other extension worker in the same area will be questioned, as the farmers will consider of their previous bitter experience. The agricultural input supplying agencies in a bid to get maximum return from their products bring low standard things in the market. How they manage to bring their products in the market by violating the set standards of quality parameters is better known to the concerned agencies. But in this entire game plan of befooling farmers, the worst sufferer for long run is extension worker.

There are many financial and credit schemes which are implemented through the extension functionaries. These schemes are actually a set back to the credibility of the extension workers. Currently Kissan Credit Card (KCC) scheme is one of such scheme. Extension workers persuade the farmers to go for availing KCC and they are filling their application forms as they have been assigned the targets by the department. They inform regarding the scheme to the farmers. But Banks are hesitating to give cards to the farmers. Many applications are dumping in the offices of either revenue department or in the banks. KCC will be made or not is another question but farmers frequently ask the extension workers when our cards will be made? This entire mean to say whose credibility eroded here once again extension workers credibility was put at stake. Bans act in their own way. But farmers have started not to trust the extension workers as he failed to provide them credit as promised.

Another reason is the elevation of the professionally less qualified personnel from the department to the rank of extension professional who does not have the requisite skills of dealing with the farmers. Right personnel having proper extension proficiency and professional in public extension and management system should be assigned the job of agricultural extension work. If by chance such persons are not included, proper training can induce the extension management skills. But it is sad commentary that the agricultural extension functionaries are seldom provided any such training to hone their skills. What ever is new today turns obsolete tomorrow. So maintaining the trust among the farming community requires induction of professionally qualified personnel and their regular trainings. We have to see that the credibility of the extension worker is maintained and the crisis through which the extension functionary of the day is passing be overcome.