Mischief continues

Mischief by Pakistan army and the militants on the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in the State goes on. In yet another violation of the ceasefire the neighbouring country's army has opened fire in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district early this week. There has been no retaliation from our side. Why? Our men in charge may have thought that restraint is a better option instead of escalating tension. This is a view that is normally taken when there is no serious damage which appears to have been the case this time. No infiltration of militants appears to have been taken place in this instance. The troops are in no doubt about this. They have exercised utmost vigilance even while watching fireworks from the opposite direction. On the other hand the Border Security Force (BSF) has been called upon to figure in some real action in the Suchetgarh Sector in the R.S. Pura tehsil in another corner of this province. According to a report in this newspaper the militants have made two separate attempts to intrude. They were in two groups and clearly they wanted to take advantage of the fog. One batch managed to cut a part of the fence. It ran for safety on being spotted by the BSF which neutralised them by firing from its forward posts. The other group of militants tried to strike later. It was stopped short of the fencing. In both the happenings, Pakistan Rangers has provided firing cover. There have been other occurrences as well indicative of the designs of the terrorists and their wire-pullers. The last week has ended with the BSF killing one intruder and forcing one to retrace his steps. Before that we have come across at least two loads of arms and ammunition being thrown over the fence into our area. These were seized before their couriers could step in.
There has been a spurt in infiltration efforts ever since the beginning of 2010. This lends credence to reports that a large number of them are just waiting across the IB and the LOC to move into our territory. The information of intelligence agencies is that they are camping close to the posts of Pakistani army and Rangers. Apparently they are hand in glove with one another as part of a strategy to beef up their dwindling ranks in the State. Top officials have cautioned us about the presence of about 700 terrorists still on our soil. Apart from that we have another problem in our midst. We don't have the remnants of terrorists alone. Along with them at one stage there has been an enormous inflow of weapons a substantial chunk of which is hidden. From time to time there have been seizures confirming these facts. The latest discovery is equally stunning. The Army and police have recovered six anti-tank rockets and other explosive devices from one place in the forests of Kishtwar district. What is surprising about the anti-tank rockets is that these are not very old. This is for the first time that such deadly arms have been found in this district. The other captured tools include six wireless sets and four grenades. It is believed that the militants had put them out of sight only to employ them at a time of their choosing. Around the same time the Rashtriya Rifles and the police have picked up concealed weapons of a Hizbul Mujahideen tehsil commander from a hideout.
What is the overall scenario that stares us in the face: (a) unprovoked firing; (b) infiltration attempts; (c) perpetrators of terror inside; and (d) veiled instruments meant for our destruction? Viewed in this context the decision to grant on-the-spot permits to travellers across the LoC at the Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district may sound rather intriguing. This is all the more so considering that two visitors from the occupied territory have been held under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The new system is being enforced to do away with the present cumbersome process which is being blamed for the complete absence of commuters from either side on the Poonch--Rawalakote route on last Monday --- for the first time after it was reopened in November 2005. As long as the bus service is there any fall in the passenger traffic should evoke concern. It also can't be ignored that there is a long list of people waiting to restore and strengthen ties with their relatives separated in 1947. It will reinforce feelings for each other if they keep meeting. After all, mutual goodwill holds the key to lasting peace and normalcy in the region. They at least have valid travel documents unlike the militants who use the routes in the same vicinity clandestinely to play havoc. How do we balance one big humane element with anxiety about our own safety at the hands of the evil forces and material coming from the same direction? Should we hope that the people-to-people contact would definitely isolate the agents of ruin in the long run? Is that not hoping too much? History tells us that it is precisely because the ordinary citizens don't assert themselves at crucial moments that they are swept off their feet by currents of devastation. Partition of 1947 is one case in point. The exodus of an overwhelming majority of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley is another. What are then the options before us?

Buses in hills

One finds it odd that the issue of shortage of State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses in the erstwhile Doda district has not been suitably resolved even after the much-publicised induction of a new fleet of vehicles. A report in this newspaper points out that there are 20 routes in Doda and Kishtwar districts which continue to be deprived of public transport services. Presently there are only ten SRTC buses in Doda district and 8 in Kishtwar district against the requirements of 19 and 13, respectively. The shortage of means of transport is the reason for their overloading which has turned out to be one of the major causes of road accidents in this part of the State. Frankly the link between overcrowding and buses scarcity is something that has not been previously unknown. By no yardstick of sensitive administration, however, can this practice be justified. What is important is to regulate traffic according to available resources ---- to cut coat according to cloth, as they say. The Government wants to encourage unemployed youth of the region to jump into transport business. It makes sense but is again no substitute for close supervision.

Creating anti-terrorism infrastructure

By M K Dhar

The Union Government seems to have, at last, woken up to the realisation that the country has failed to avail the opportunity offered by the 26/11 Mumbai carnage to organise itself for an agile and comprehensive response to terror attacks. An indication to that effect is available from the proposal made by Home Minister P. Chidambaram to create a national counter-terrorism centre, on the pattern of the one functioning in the United States, and to bifurcate the Home Ministry so as to detach internal security from other unrelated functions.
India is among the countries worst affected by terrorism for over two decades emanating from Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir has suffered the largest number of strikes. The terrorism network is an organised global enterprise, but India still suffers from the disadvantage of a disorganised and compartmentalised approach to dealing with the menace. The political discourse on terrorism has been confined to stringent laws which are not effectively applied for want of a preventive mechanism and an efficient security infrastructure to ensure a comprehensive approach.
We are experiencing terrorism of the external and internal varieties: while the former is more vicious and aimed at striking at the roots of our secular and composite culture; the latter is manageable and negotiable provided the governments concerned adopt an enlightened and humane approach to causes underlying Naxalism, Maoism and other violent movements. As internal security, which now has huge external dimensions, has assumed such alarming proportions, the available police and intelligence apparatus, weakened by decades of political interference, are woefully inadequate to deal with the multi-dimensional problem.
Promises to revamp the police and intelligence machinery are routinely made at national-level conferences on security convened at regular intervals, but neither the Centre, nor the states, have succeeded in upgrading these agencies and forces. The reason generally given is shortage of funds to buy new equipment, creating infrastructure and training facilities as terrorists possess more sophisticated weapons and are ably guided. It is a pity that even after one year of the Mumbai attack, the contemplated National Anti-terrorism Centre has not become a functioning entity. It could form the nucleus and ultimately oversee all aspects of internal security, including terrorism of different varieties and motivations. Given the imperatives and challenges of the times, a division of the present functions of the Home Ministry by taking out subjects unrelated to security, should be brought about.
Restructuring alone may not solve the problem of internal security, but a beginning must be made because the existing chaotic, disorganised and uncoordinated manner of functioning of various arms does not make for efficiency or effectiveness. Over the decades, the Home Ministry has grown into a mammoth organisation, with many of its functions unrelated to security and law-keeping. It must be hard even for the Minister to keep count of the departments under his charge, ranging from freedom fighters pension to fighting terrorism. The result is that a plethora pf agencies and multiple command structures are defeating the objectives of effective security management. In addition, “turf wars” due to a multiplicity of agencies like IB, RAW, NTRO, JIC, NCRB, NIA and NSG prevents effective anti-terrorism strategy being put to practice. Nothing like complete and effective coordination exists and the Prime Minister and the Home Minister alone get regular inputs from IB and RAW on a daily basis, but not always based on reliable inputs.
It has taken the United States nearly three years to operationalise the National Investigative Agency, but that does not mean India should take as long to create the basic security mechanism. Yet, inspite of the creation of so many agencies, including Homeland Security Umar Farooq managed to board the US bound American airliner with explosives strapped round his body. President Obama was forced to accept moral responsibility for the security lapse and strongly pulled up the many agencies involved in intelligence gathering and chasing suspects. Today, there is a need to network all the databases that contain vital information and intelligence, but presently each database stands alone, as the owner of one database does not share information with another database. Thus, crucial information that rests in one database is not available to another agency. To correct the deficiency the Government has decided to set up NATGRID, under which 21 sets of databases will be networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to the desired information.
Mr. Chidambaram’s proposal to set up the NCTC, under which all the intelligence gathering agencies will be placed, has already caused commotion in the agencies involved. Each agency and department of the Government operates as a fiefdom and zealously guards its independence privileges and power of patronage. He feels that the move will result in transferring some oversight responsibilities from the existing agencies to the Centre. However, the positioning of the IB and RAW would have to be examined in order to place them under the oversight of the Centre to the extent that they deal with terrorism. Intelligence agencies of the Finance and Defence Minister will, however, continue to function under as at present, but their representatives would have to be deputed mandatorily to the Centre. The NSTS should be headed by a highly qualified professional with vast experience of security related matters.
But, he does not consider putting an outsider in the position of the head of NCTC since he feels that, owing to the structure of our services it is “natural to accept” that the head of one of the existing organisations will be appointed to the post, be it from the police or military. The main reason why our intelligence agencies are not functioning properly is that they are often headed by police officers with political connections who are not necessarily efficient or suited to the posts they occupy. Likewise the proposed NCTC will also be rendered ineffective if headed by a police officer or a bureaucrat, who will always be in the awe of the ruling elite, unable to give independent and dispassionate advice.
It is after many years that an element of coordination has been injected into the security-cum-intelligence set up in Jammu and Kashmir that reliable information about the terrorists crossing over from Pakistan or occupied Kashmir is passed on to the Army, BSF and other forces. But they are not able to keep track of home-grown terrorists, motivated from outside the country, who remain active and also provide shelter and logistic support to terrorists coming from Pakistan. This is the reason why several hundred armed militants still remain active in the State and in some other parts of the country. The intelligence information often is not accurate about militants or their movements -- only vague hints are thrown, the leads are often lost and, in many cases, innocents get caught, creating bigger law and order problems and bring a bad name to the forces and keepers of law and order.
There is a desperate need for better police infrastructure and training and increase in personnel to cope with the growing criminalisation of society. As for externally-sponsored terrorism, pressure should be kept on Pakistan to behave as a civilised country, with respect for international law. Internally, system-wide deficiency in skills and capabilities should be removed in an organised and urgent manner. (NPA)

India's growth amid regional tension

By Ramesh Kanitkar

The declining contribution of agriculture sector to the national Gross Domestic Production is a matter of serious concern. Agriculture called backbone of our country’s economy is losing its position and the ultimate sufferers are the farmers. The cases of suicides by the farmers across the country in the events of the crop failures are increasing day by day as they are left with no option when crop failure leads them to the dark tunnel of indebtness. In Jammu and Kashmir the picture too is gloomy. Continuously existing dry spell for the last two years has totally broken the back of the farming community. The worst sufferers are the farmers following rain-fed agriculture. The kandi belt has suffered a lot from the long run dry spell. The last years Rabi season and then Kharif season have faded the faces of the farmers. Paddy crop in the field is being harvested but it has produced far less yield much below the expected level. Paddy cultivation involves too much labour. In many cases farmers are complaining that they have not been getting even the cost involved in the cultivation of the paddy crop. With the onset of the Kharif season, farmers had to face the wrath of the weather with no rains and delayed monsoon showers resulting in the delayed showing of the major Kharif crops.

In a situation mirroring the change in the national economy, the tertiary sector in Jammu and Kashmir is fast threatening to overtake the primary sector. Agriculture, once the mainstay of the economy, is being increasingly abandoned by people in favour of jobs in the private sector leading to a marked slump in the primary sector in the last few years. As per official figures, the contribution of the primary sector, which includes forestry, livestock and agricultural sector, to the State Domestic Product has witnessed a decline between 2001 and 2007. Sources attribute this decrease to the growing urbanization of J&K. They added that even though the actual growth rate of agriculture in the state had shown a consistent increase, it had lagged behind the national average. The rate has been 5.13 per cent in 2002-03, 5.17 per cent in 2003-04, 5.23 per cent in 2004-05, 5.73 per cent in 2005-06 and 6 per cent in 2006-07. A major change in the cropping system has been observed with the farmers following the sowing of Kharif pulses and oilseeds at the places where they used to grow paddy during the normal monsoon season. Many farmers followed the sowing of fodder and even many kept the fields fallow so that they may sow the toria crop during the month of September. But the rain again betrayed them and gave them sheer disappointment. In the lower intermediate region the rains only occurred at the time of late Kharif season which resulted in the late sowing of Kharif crops and during the entire crop period no showers have been observed.

The rain-fed agriculture is risk prone and during the times of Monsoon this season remained very weak fading the faces of the farmers. The crops sown during the Kharif season failed to get irrigations at the critical stages and resulted in poor crop stand, poor vegetative growth. Poor flowering, poor grain formation and grain filling thereby resulting in the poor yield. Farmers had hopes from the Kharif season but it failed to meet up to the expectations and ultimately now the farmers have eyed all hopes on the ensuing Rabi season. But unfortunately the beginning is not good. By now the major rains as required to bring the soil moisture to the level sufficient for following the sowing of the crops has not taken place.

Farmers have harvested their Kharif crops and many places the fields were already fallow and are waiting with all inputs at their disposal for the shower to take place. At this stage the needed strategies are formulated by the scientists is formulation of contingent cropping plans and the schemes which would ensure at least some sowing by the farmers and minimizing the losses to be incurred in the event of failed rainfall? During the cropping period in the times of drought, the revenue and agriculture officials are engaged for the calculation of the losses to the crops due to drought so a s to calculate the intensity of the compensation to be given to the farmers. This is reactive approach. Why the pro-active approach in this direction shouldn’t is followed? The farmers should be trained in the moisture conservation practices. Digging of the ground water wells or tube wells is a alternative means to grow crops. The question is for how long we will be able to irrigate the land with the ground water? A viable long run solution is needed that can mitigate the problems of the farming community for a longer period. It has also been seen that the youth is losing interest inn the noble vocation of agriculture.

In view of the changing pattern of the rainfall, there is a dire need to change the strategies of the farming also. Utilization of preserved moisture is very crucial besides there is need to develop cropping sequences and cropping systems suitable for the changing climatic scenario. Work should be done to evaluate the use of surface mulches, both organic and inorganic for short term moisture conservation, to determine ideal fertilizer doses and improving fertilizer use efficiency, to test new planting materials for introduction/substitution after they have proved their superiority over existing ones.

Developing strategies for meeting the challenges of an aberrant weather like skip or catch cropping etc. Even after utilizing all the available water resources, about 50% of our culturable area will still depend on rains. Therefore, our agricultural scientists, policy formulators and farmers should appropriately realize the magnitude of role that rain-fed agriculture or dryland farming can play. They should thoroughly examine the problems of dry land agriculture from different view points and evolve appropriate technologies, crop varieties, etc. for these areas to better the economic position of the farmers

(The author is Agriculture Extension Officer)

Diminishing trends in agriculture sector

By Ramesh Chander

India is predominantly an agricultural country where about 70% of the population is engaged in farming sector. This is the most important sector of our economy as our industries; trade and balance of payments are dependent on it. Population of the country is dependent on agriculture for their foodgrains.
Agro-based industries like sugar mills, jute industry, cotton textile, flour mills, rice shellers and most of other industries are dependent on agriculture produce as their raw-material. Most of the trade both domestic and international is of agricultural products thus this sector affects position of balance of payments. Agriculture products constitute about 30% of India's exports and good amount of Foreign exchange is earned by the country from these exports. Foodgrains, cereals, pulses etc for domestic use are produced from the agriculture sector. India was a country of 36 crores in 1947 and has now grown to a giant of more than 125 crores. Food is the most important basic need of the people and this is produced by the agriculture sector alone. Howsoever, prosperous a country may be but its population will have to eat food and food products. Due to Green revolution in agriculture sector, our country has been able to provide food security to its masses. But below mentioned recent trends in this sector of our economy should be cause of concern for all of us:-
* Land under cultivation is decreasing fastly.
* Land use is changing from agriculture to other uses like establishment of industries, banquet halls, land under central/state govt. offices, industrial estates, establishment of SEZs, land under defence, construction of palatial houses, etc.
* Due to uncertainties of returns people are abandoning the profession of agriculture and are shifting toward service sector.
* Due to very low returns coupled with high labour people are leaving agriculture sector.
* Farmers are faced with shortage of seeds and fertilizers. Shortage of seeds is post WTO Era Phenomena.
* Farmers are shifting from food crops to cash crops. Cultivation of food crops is less remunerative than growing other cash crops.
* No assured income for farmers whereas in other sectors there is always some assured income.
* Agriculture is more labour intensive type of work especially for small and marginal farmers; whereas in other sectors jobs are white-colored.
For these and many other reasons people are turning from agriculture sector and are shifting towards service and allied sectors. Purchasing power of the people is increasing whereas agricultural productivity is almost constant and when taken in terms of per capita availability, it is decreasing. This should be cause of worry for policy planners and administrators of the country. Farmers are the worst sufferers as they have not got proper remuneration of their produce. Major share of profit is cornered by the middle men and traders.
Rate of basmati paddy is Rs.1600 per qunital and 1 qunital of paddy contains 66 kg rice. It means that rate of medium variety of basmati rice should be Rs.27-28 per kg whereas basmati rice is getting sold above Rs.40/-kg and if older by 5-6months rate is above Rs.60/-kg. Chunk of the profit is being cornered by seller and traders and farmer is left high and dry with meager remuneration. Same is the case in almost all the agriculture items. This malady should be corrected by intervention by the Govt. so as to ensure that farmers get minimum of 90% of the market value of their produce. Govt. should ensure that farmers should get remuneration atleast equal to minimum wages. Young generation is not learning profession of agriculture so they should be encouraged by giving some allowances say agriculture profession allowance of Rs.1000/- per month till they are engaged in agriculture. Expenditure on departments of agriculture should be curtailed and savings so accrued should be utilized for giving agriculture allowance to young youth as an incentive to adopt agriculture as a profession. This will boost agriculture production besides making these youth self sufficient. Govt. is giving all sort of incentives for opening self-employment enterprises. Agriculture is also a employment enterprise and those perusing this profession should be given this incentive in the shape of agriculture allowance. It will make the country self reliant in food production which will ensure food surety for all.
Govt. should make available seeds and fertilizers to the farmers at cheaper rates and should ensure its availability during sowing reason. Other maladies of agriculture sector should be corrected by taking drastic steps to check change of land use and its decreasing area under cultivation. There should be a control on the size of residential plot. Maximum residential plot should be of 6000 sqft of which only half should be covered and there should be some plantation on the remaining half.
Wasteful expenditure on machinery of agriculture departments and schemes like Rebra-e- zarat should be stopped and savings so accrued should be paid to the youths directly pursuing the agriculture profession. A farmer knows fully well that how and what to produce at what times. Department of agriculture should only pursue agriculture related research and development activities which can be of use to the farmers for improving their productivity. Dictates like those of W.T.O. due to which farmers are unable to produce their own seeds are suicidal for the country. Poor farmers have been rendered helpless and are made to procure seeds every time that too at the rates of 3 times the rate of that commodity. Farmer is always faced with scarcity of fertilizers and seeds and has to run from pillar to post to get fertilizer and seeds.
This drawback should be corrected. Farmers be declared as Anndata and they should get priority at hospitals, schools, bus-stand, Railway Stations and at other public utility places to keep their morale boosted. By adopting these measures we will be able to save our agriculture sector from getting diminished; otherwise this sector will continue to deplete and inflation will continue to confront the common man and the country.
(The author is Dy. Director in CA&PD Department, Jammu.)

Can Bangladesh keep promise ?

By M L Gupta

Bangladesh has been a major concern for the northeastern states in tackling decades old problem of insurgency and illegal migration from Bangladesh.
However, by evicting four top Ulfa leaders including its chairman Arbinda Rajkhowa, the new Government in Dhaka has sent a firm signal to insurgents operating from Bangladesh.
As former director-general of Assam Police Harekrishna Deka points out, "These steps were not easy to take, and indeed constituted a test of courage and conviction for the new Government in Dhaka."
He describes proposed extradition treaty between the two countries as a positive development in combating insurgents but felt Bangladesh is yet to demolish hideouts and shelters of N-E insurgent groups.
Security analyst question Dhaka's approach in combating insurgents operating from their territory. On the eviction of four top Ulfa leaders, home ministry officials pointed out that these steps are not going to make any difference to the insurgency scenario in Assam and northeast. It may have a temporary impact on Ulfa but active Ulfa cadres operating from Bangladesh are yet to be trapped.
Dhaka is also non-committal on taking any step to demolish the business network of Ulfa and other northeast insurgent groups. It avoided handing over of Ulfa cadre Derehegra Sarania a close and active associate of Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah. The authorities in Bangladesh unilaterally decided to defer his eviction. He was also picked up by security agencies with Ulfa's foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika but was sent to jail. The authorities in Dhaka were also tipped off about presence of Ulfa leaders like Antu Chawdang and Drishti Rajkhowa who are said to have been controlling terror network of Ulfa from hideouts in Bangladesh but they were not touched. Dhaka also failed to nab NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary operating from Bangladesh with more than 150 armed cadres holed up in Sherpur district.
Security agencies contrast Bangladesh with Bhutan which took courageous steps and demolished entire network of Ulfa, NDFB and KLO in 2003 by launching military operations in one go.
India shares a 4,096-km long border with Bangladesh of which West Bengal shares the longest with approximately 2,216-km, most of which is porous, unfenced and vulnerable to infiltration and trans-border crimes. The border districts like North and South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Nadia, Murshidabad,
Malda, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas are most affected by this problem. The ruling CPI(M) turned a blind eye to this problem because large-scale infiltration suited it politically. For a long time the Left remained in denial mode.
It was only in 1997, that the CPI leader and the then Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta admitted in Parliament of the presence of over a crore illegal immigrants in the country. If the ruling Left glossed over the issue so did the opposition Congress and later Trinamul Congress. In 2004, the then Union minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal informed the Parliament that nearly 57 lakh illegal immigrants were present in West Bengal.
The BJP state president Rahul Sinha says large scale infiltration has resulted in serious demographic changes in bordering districts particularly Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur. "Following delimitation, it is the bordering districts which have registered the highest increase in the number of Assembly seats. What does it suggest?" he asked. He claimed that illegal immigrants were first supplied with ration cards and later their names were registered in the electoral rolls thereby according them legitimacy."Its conducted with the connivance of border personnel and the MLA," he said.
During Khaleda Zia's last tenure, religious extremism and militancy got a chance to thrive in Bangladesh and jihadi outfits like Harkat-ul Jihad Islam (HUJI), Jamiat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) became powerful. Authorities suspect that some operatives of these militant organisations have been entering West Bengal under the guise of impoverished immigrants who cross the border out of economic compulsions. (INAV)