Bygone memories-II
Mohammad Shafi Pandit
About 85 per cent of Kashmiris eat non-vegetarian food. It is estimated that Jammu and Kashmir annually consumes a whopping 51,000 tonnes of mutton worth Rs 2000 crore approximately, of which about half is imported from the neighbouring states, especially Rajasthan. The quantity of mutton consumed by the people, has been growing at a rate higher than that of the population growth, because of improvement, over the years, in their capacity to pay. Quite obviously, therefore, availability of mutton at reasonable prices, has always been a sensitive issue, with the people, especially in Kashmir valley. The prices of mutton have always been fixed by the Consumer Affairs wing of the government, based on the advice of the district administration. In the city of Srinagar, the rates are based on the recommendation of the Divisional Commissioner. A Citizens’ Advisory Council, comprising representatives from all walks of life, was always taken into confidence, in dealing with matters of common public concern. The rates fixed by the administration have always been broadly followed, within a certain tolerance limit, not exceeding 5-10%.
Towards the end of 1987, while I was posted as the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, the mutton wholesalers decided to hike the prices of mutton, unilaterally, without taking the administration into confidence. At first, I tried to talk to the representatives of the wholesalers of mutton, and assured them that rates would be appropriately hiked after taking into account all the relevant factors. But they were defiant and continued with their illegal actions. This involved public interest, on the one hand, and the prestige and effectiveness of administration, on the other.
THE STRATEGY
1.) After taking the then Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah into confidence, I took several punitive measures to discipline the wholesale traders (referred to in the local parlance as Kothedars), including their arrests (from various locations, Delhi, Jammu and Srinagar), cancellation/suspension of their trading licenses, and issuance of new wholesaler licenses to new applicants from mutton dealers.
2.) I also realized that legal action was not enough and enduring, and recalled what we had been taught (during our training at the National Academy of Administration), by our professor of Economics, Mr Monga, that the prices of commodities could be kept under control, only if the demand could be reduced. This involved the difficult task of persuading the consumers to give up, or at least reduce, the consumption of meat for a limited period.
3.) I enlisted the support of a very distinguished and highly respected physician, Dr G Q Allaqaband, and together, we started an all-out campaign, for convincing the public about the adverse effects of meat consumption on health. While Dr Allaqaband participated in several interviews, on television and radio, explaining the medical justification for reducing meat consumption, I enlisted the support of the media as well as public for starting a consumer resistance movement against getting exploited at the hands of wholesale traders. I was lucky enough to get willing cooperation from the media as well as the people, and they reposed tremendous confidence in me. Lots of write ups appeared in the newspapers, urging the people to give up meat consumption temporarily, in order to support the endeavours of the divisional administration to discipline the black marketeers. It was a rare development, unseen ever before, that the administration received full support from all the three organs of State, the legislators, the executive, and the judiciary, as well as the fourth estate, and the people, in whose interest this action was being taken. Thus, all the stake holders were on the same page.
4.) I also called upon one of the public sector undertakings, Sheep and Sheep Products Development Board, to organize a limited supply of meat through their trucks, which would be used as mobile meat shops, moving from one locality to another. This met only a small portion of the demand but convinced the people about the genuineness of the campaign launched by the administration. What was remarkable about the public response to this effort, was that people would stand in queue, for hours, in a disciplined manner, waiting for their turn, and even exhorted others to cooperate, in order to show solidarity with the administration.
5.) I, and a few other like-minded persons from various walks of life, including doctors, journalists, social activists and other opinion builders, started a social reform movement, under the banner of Samaj Sudhar Society, urging people to avoid ostentatious expenditure on marriage and other functions. The immediate thrust was on urging the people to avoid wasteful consumption of meat in ‘wazwan ‘, the traditional feast served on marriages.
6.) This situation continued for several months. The people, almost giving up meat consumption, for more than three months, was seen by one and all as no less than a miraculous development. The demand fell and butchers didn’t have demand for whatever little supplies they could muster. During this period, they shifted to other vocations.
7.) Meanwhile, there were attempts to bribe me and intimidate me, but I didn’t budge. I understand that there were attempts made to bribe the political executive as well. Public rumors have it that they had their way with some politicians. But, to be fair, rumors always need verification.
8.) The defiant wholesalers, finally, surrendered, and made a submission for conforming to the revised prices to be fixed by the administration. We responded positively and set the process in motion. Based on the recommendation of the Citizens’ Council, tempered marginally by the then Chief Minister, who, by then, had become inclined to give some weightage to political wisdom, as well, the revised rates were fixed, which prevailed, as effectively as before.
This episode created a lasting impact on the minds of the local people, and even after a lapse of three decades, people of that generation keep mentioning about it to their younger ones. It is gathered that this also became a case study in at least one administrative institute of the country.
PAYMENT OF SALARY THROUGH CHEQUES
In 1995, while I was serving, at the Central level, as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Welfare, and militancy was at its peak in my home state, my services were urgently requisitioned by the then Governor, J&K State. With pressure from the PMO, I had to yield and get repatriated to my cadre, somewhat prematurely. I got my posting as Additional Chief Secretary, in charge of Finance.
One of the first, among the many challenges for me, was to deal with multiple requests for allowing double drawl of salary for some field formations, on the pretext that the militants had looted the cash dispatches, while being carried to far flung areas.
I was taken by surprise, because, in the central government, payment of salary in cash was unheard of. Although, back in the State, payment of salary in cash had been the norm earlier, but I could not imagine that this would have continued after the imposition of Governor Rule in early nineties. I immediately took it upon myself to make it obligatory for all government employees to open bank accounts and receive salary only through their accounts.
As soon as the orders were issued, all hell broke lose, and employees took out processions against me, and banners carrying my caricatures were taken out in the city. Some sections of employees gheraoed my office in the Secretariat. Surprisingly, even disciplined forces like the Police Organization, sought exemption from the order.
Little did I realize that payment of salary in cash, meant huge flow of money to certain sections of employees, especially the cashiers. It was shocking to hear that in the case of teachers, the cashier’s cut (shared with the supervisory staff/officers) could be as high as 40%, the reason being that some of the teachers were operating only in name, or in absentia by proxy. One of the untenable arguments advanced by the employee’s unions was that, in far flung areas, there were no bank branches. I countered by saying that, wherever J&K Bank Ltd did not have presence (others had little or no presence at all other than cities), the cheque could be cashed through accounts at post offices, which had a presence in almost all the village clusters.
I stood my ground, and with some temporary reprieve granted to police organization, (in the interest of saving our own lives!), the order got finally implemented in full.
The antagonistic feeling of employees towards me didn’t continue for long. They soon started looking upon me as their best friend, after seeing good balances accumulating in their accounts, at the end of each month, which would normally have gone to cashiers. It didn’t take much time for them and their union leaders to convert their attitude of grumbling into gratitude for me.
The implementation of this decision had both short term and long-term impact. The state finances benefitted immediately, because the need for double drawal of salary was avoided, and the possibility of fraudulent drawals was much reduced.
As regards the economy, the impact came through the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd, which received a bonanza of three and a half lakh accounts, without any labored outreach on their part. They could now, hugely enhance their consumer loan portfolio, through the employees, without incurring any risk of default, because the bank now controlled the salary flow, keeping in view their own demands on the employees. The spread of this portfolio, which has witnessed a phenomenal increase over the years, has become a major source of income for the bank and has given a makeover to their balance sheet.
At the same time, the quantum of money in the state economy, also massively increased, over the years, without involving the state finances.
I lay no claim to having done wonders through any of these initiatives. Any of my colleagues could have done it as well. But I was lucky enough to have been there at the right time, to fulfil the need of the hour, and find the propitious circumstances to implement these ideas, and take them to a logical conclusion.
The joy created by these experiences has been enduring, as their impact has been extraordinary. As time went by, they have become happy memories, which give joy not just once, but as and when recollected, or narrated.
(The author is former Chief Secretary)
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