KEY RECOMMENDATIONS of interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir r report

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

NEW COMPACT
The Interlocutors Report on Jammu and Kashmir has proposed a “New Compact with the people of J&K”. It has three components:
POLITICAL: Greater devolution of administrative and financial powers to the Panchayati Raj institutions.
ECONOMIC: Make the state self-reliant. The report calls for “fair compensation” to the state for power generation and for the waters originating in the state and flowing to other parts of the country. It wants certain hydro power projects to be handed back to the state. SEZs to promote handicraft, horticulture, floriculture, tourism, etc.
CULTURAL: Initiate confidence-building measures, such as inter and intra-Kashmir dialogue between community representatives of all regions. Establish exchange programmes of students, writers, artistes and crafts people. Promote cross-LoC tourism too.

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

The report, underlining the state’s dual character, says it is an integral part of the Indian Union, yet it has a special status enshrined in Article 370 of the Constitution, and the Centre-state relations must be settled accordingly:
n Review all Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution extended to the state after the 1952 Delhi Agreement. For this, set up a Constitutional Committee to take into account the changes over the past six decades — strategic, political, economic, technological, ecological and cultural — in India, South Asia and the world at large.
n Replace the word “temporary” from the heading of Article 370 and from the title of Part XXI of the Constitution with the word “special”.
n For the Governor, it says the state government, after consultations with Opposition parties, should submit a list of three names to the President. The Governor should then be chosen by the President, and hold office at the pleasure of the President.
n On Article 356, its notes the action of the Governor is now justiciable in the Supreme Court. It says the present arrangement should continue with the proviso that the Governor would keep the state legislature under suspended animation and hold fresh elections within three months.
n Proportion of officers from the All India Services should be gradually reduced in favour of officers from the state civil service.
n Do not change nomenclatures for Governor and Chief Minister.
n Create regional councils for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

ROADMAP FOR CREDIBLE DIALOGUE

n Release all “stone-pelters” and political prisoners.
n Reduce intrusive presence of security forces.
n Work for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
n Implement report of the PM’s Working Group on CBMs.
n Establish a judicial commission to look into the unmarked graves.
(Compiled by Arteev Sharma)

Empowerment of Panchayats in Punjab

To provide a transparent and corruption-free administration at the village level, the Punjab Government will soon initiate auditing of the panchayat accounts. Sarpanches, panches and panchayat secretaries will be trained by chartered accountants in keeping accounts, said Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, here today.
Rakhra said Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh had asked the states to provide a transparent administration at the village level and Punjab would be the first state to accept Centre’s recommendation. “Punjab Government has already established liaison with the Committee on Public Finance and Government Accounting in this regard,” he said.
The minister said for the purpose of training, groups had been formed clubbing 10 blocks together. On account of lack of awareness among representatives of panchayats, several cases of embezzlement had come to the fore. It was also noticed that panchayats were unable to mobilise all their resources to generate more funds.
He said the training would enable them to get funds from the state and the Centre and to utilise these in a proper manner.The chartered accountants would regularly monitor the accounts of panchayats, Rakhra added.

Economic, not military confrontation to checkmate China

THE Cold War saw tensions between two superpowers, the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union, over a 40-year period, till the Soviet Union came under severe economic crisis and ultimately dissolved. That was the time when China realised the importance of economic reforms, which she started in right earnest. In spite of being the largest communist country in the world, China opened up her economy and allowed large-scale foreign investments, thereby becoming the world's second largest economy. She is continuing her efforts to become an economic super power by 2020. China had learnt her lessons from the Soviet dismemberment and is hence not leaving any stone unturned in the economic field. She has really converted geo-politics and geo-strategies into geo-economics to achieve the status of an economic superpower before ultimately becoming a global superpower.
Some strategic thinkers may not agree with the view that the Sino-Indian thaw has become a geo-economic tussle or show down. China has realised that in the 21st century, only two elements of power will dominate --domestic economy and military/nuclear power. In last two years the Chinese economy has become a five trillion dollar economy and has crossed the Japanese economy. Only USA remains ahead of China, which she might cross by 2020, if all goes as planned by the Chinese.
In order to analyze the military and nuclear elements of power, it is well known that China has the world's largest conventional army. Chinese armed forces are well equipped and their nuclear arsenal is second largest in the world. Though not aligned with any power block, she is an unchallenged military power. As far as regional deployment is concerned she is completely dominating the South Asian region. If one has to compare the might of China and India, it stands completely in favour of China with a ratio of nearly 2:1. Though India has the third largest army in the world, her requirements are much more and her economy can not afford a larger army at this point of time.
China knows that it can not engage in an outright war with India for good reasons which are mostly related to economic conditions. India is not what she was in 1962 and is now a responsible nuclear state with a clear cut nuclear policy. Therefore, China will engage India through a blocking or indirect interference posture, creating economic hindrances or additional expenditure to India, aimed at hampering India's economic growth. If China employs military elements in a blocking or interfering posture against India, she would do it with economic advantage.
It would be in our interest to join hands with China and engage her in the economic development of South and South-East Asian region. Engaging China economically rather than militarily, may avoid military confrontation. The dragon has outgrown us many folds and any military engagement with it should be avoided keeping in mind long term repercussions.
Let us now analyze how China is employing economic polices and geo-strategies to neutralise India. China's biggest worry is import of crude oil. If we take growth of Chinese economy at seven percent, then the oil import worries are likely to enhance. China imports more than 50 per cent of her oil from Gulf and littoral states. To ensure safe passage of her ships, China has secured port facilities in Srilanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The facilities in Srilanka are transit facilities while one at Bangladesh are for transporting oil via a rail link being developed through Myanmar to eastern mainland China. A full fledged port facility at Gawadar in Pakistan will be used for moving oil by rail and road to western Tibet via Gilgit. These facilities appear like strategic encirclement and could be used by China for geo-strategic purposes.
Chinese economy may be assessed as a bubble by some economists but so far nothing adverse has been reported in the public domain. China exports both consumer goods and consumer durables to South Asia and to rest of the world. Chinese have cut down their production costs and they may now open their economy further for MNCs. China has learnt from Russia how not to keep the economy fully closed and run into a deep economic recession. China would naturally allow dollar and euro investments.
China’s realisation about her military and economic strength has helped her to become a regional power and will help her further to become a world power. China has realised the importance of economic growth and seen how the economic crisis in the West is affecting growth in those countries. She has a very competitive neighbour like India and it would be ideal for both countries to cooperate in regional economic development without erecting blockades for each other. China and India must not get involved in any military confrontation, lest they suffer economically. The Sino-Indian border thaw can take its own time to resolve. If bilateral relations have stabilised over the past fifty years, then that has proven my point on economic growth, without which both countries would have suffered. Military escalation on part of India or China could lead to an arms race at the cost of economic development. We must remember that 21st century belongs to the eastern giants -- China and India.

Mansa is state’s second smoke-free district

The Punjab Government today formally declared Mansa as the second smoke-free district of the state. A decision to this effect was taken by Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary Vini Mahajan on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. Earlier, Mohali had been declared as the first smoke-free district by the state government in February. 

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