Performance of Indian Sports persons in recent years

There has been perceptible improvement in the performance of the Indian sportspersons in recent years.  The performance of our sportspersons in major international tournaments since Beijing Olympics, 2008 has been encouraging. India won 3 medals (1 Gold and 2 Bronze) in Beijing Olympics, 2008.  In Commonwealth Games, 2010, India won 101 medals (38 Gold, 27 Silver and 36 Bronze) and was 2^nd in medals tally.  In Asian Games, 2010 held in Guangzhou, China, India won 64 medals (14 Gold, 17 Silver and 33 Bronze) and was 6^th in medals tally, which was India’s best since inception of the Asian Games. This was stated by Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, in the RajyaSabha  in a reply to a question by Dr. T.N. Seema.

 In the London Olympics, 2012, Indian sportspersons came up with a record performance by winning 6 medals (2 Silver and 4 Bronze).  Although some of the sportspersons such as P. Kashyap (Badminton), Tintu Luka (Atheletics-800m), VikasGowda (Athletics-Discus Throw), Krishna Poonia (Athletics-Discus Throw), Irfan K. Thodi (Atheletics-20km walk),Vijender Singh (Boxing-75kg), Devendro Singh (Boxing- 46-49kg) could not win medals but their performance was creditable.

            

Crop diversification and Punjab

IN 1985 under the stress of paddy glut in Punjab markets and the Central government dragging its feet due to bulging food stocks with them, the Punjab government set up an expert committee for suggesting measures that would resolve the problems of market clearance for the rice crop in the state. The committee after extensive consultations with professionals in the related fields, informed farmers and other stake-holders submitted its report well in time before the paddy plantation season in 1986. However, as was expected, due the change in the governance scenario and severe droughts for four consecutive years, the report gathered dust on the shelves of the administration. This report was prepared with a long-term vision projected over a period of next five decades, but unfortunately the myopic vision of our political administration could not see beyond their nose.

Once again from 1991-92 onwards the food stock started building up and by the end of the decade, the foodgrain stocks reached the unmanageable level of more than 65 million tonnes. The country, as a consequence, suffered huge losses due to spoilage as well as on exports. Quite a few export consignments got rejected and most of the stocks were exported at below BPL prices. Yearly exports amounted to between six and seven million tonnes of foodgrains. In five years, preceding September 2005, 35 million tonnes of foodgrains were exported, of which 23 million tonnes were rice and 12 million tonnes wheat.
Surprisingly, while the government had exported 5 million tonnes of rice and about a million tonnes of wheat in the year 2005, by end of that year, the Ministry of Food again started crying shortages. Next year India imported five million tonnes of wheat at very high prices, which it did not need to. Wheat was not available in the international market; otherwise the country would have imported more next year. Since then food stocks have been continuously building up and have again reached unmanageable levels leading to huge wastages and losses.
Apprehending the impending dire situation, the Punjab government in 2002 again appointed an expert committee for suggesting measures to resolve the problem. The committee comprising experts, informed farmers, grain handlers and agro-industrialists, after consulting scores of stake-holders, submitted its report in June 2002. The main thrust of the report was on (1) rationalising the water and electric power subsidies for tube-wells so that subsidies are focused to reach the ones who really deserved, (2) providing compensation to the farmers for the replacement of at least one million hectare of land from under rice to pulses and oilseeds crops. At that time while rice and wheat were exported at a huge loss, oils, oilseeds and pulses were being imported costing more than Rs 14,000 crore every year.
The subsidy to the farmers for the purpose was costing only Rs1600 crore, which could reduce the production of about 4 million tonnes of rice from one million hectare and considerably release pressure on imports of oilseeds and pulses. Major benefit would have been on correcting the underground water balance of the state because the carrying capacity of water resources in Punjab was not for more than 1.5 million hectare of the rice crop. Punjab at that time was growing rice on 2.6 million hectare of its land.
The proposal was agreed to by the Central Ministry of Food as well as the Ministry of Finance, and was sent to the Ministry of Agriculture for further action, but the case was lost due to the indifference, rather hostile attitude, of the Punjab bureaucracy and lack of political process on the part of the state government. The shocking aspect was that in spite of repeated requests by the committee, the report so laboriously prepared was never discussed at any forum of the government. Twice the Chief Minister promised to discuss that in the Council of Ministers, but it was never to be.
Now it seems the Punjab government has again woken up from its usual slumber to the ground realities of the situation and the Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission has agreed to help the state, by setting up a committee headed by an expatriate expert. The intension is no doubt at its right place, yet one wonders what would a foreign expert do? There are no better experts on the subject in the world than the Punjab scientists and agricultural development policy experts in the country itself. There is a top-ranking agricultural university in the state that has nationally and internationally awarded scientists and ranking development policy experts. Working in the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Economic Commission in West Asia, the World Bank and other international organisations, I have not found anywhere agricultural experts better than Indians.
Once, the Chinese government requested the FAO to provide them with one top-ranking agricultural planning expert from the world over for one-day single expert consultation with the concerned agricultural policy makers and planners of their country. FAO sent 16 names from different developed and developing countries. The Chinese government selected the Indian expert out of them. In this scenario, the Planning Commission seems to be grossly under-valuing the expertise available in India. Punjab does not need to seek expertise from outside and waste precious resources. It would amount to manifestation of slavish mentality in seeking advice from the place(s), where it does not exist. Decision-makers in the country need to realise that white skin is not necessarily superior to the brown one!
It is not that the problems of the agriculture sector and those of farmers are not known and that their solutions are not there. What is lacking in the state is the political will to take right and hard decisions. It is well known that the underground water balance of the state is in the negative and is continuously deteriorating, mainly because the state is growing at least one million hectares of paddy in excess of the carrying capacity of its water resources. The alternative crops that can be grown on a large scale do not have economic advantages over the paddy crop under the present level of technology and availability of free electric power. In the interest of adjusting the production pattern to the need-based consumption pattern of the country, the Punjab farmers would need to be compensated for shifting the substantial area from under rice crop to other crops, specialty the oilseeds and pulses.
Without rationalising the electric power subsidy and right-pricing of water and power supply to the farm sector, the mantra of crop diversification in Punjab would remain no more than a pipe dream. Yet, there is a crying need for diversification in the cropping pattern of the state. More so is the need for diversification of the total agricultural production pattern, including animal husbandry and other allied activities in the sector. Still more important is the need for diversification of the rural economy for providing gainful employment to the rural youth and thereby weaning them away from drug addiction and petty crimes that are plaguing the state. The failure of diversification in the agricultural production pattern of the state is not the technology or advisory failure; it is primarily due to the policy paralysis and vote bank political dispensations that have sucked out the will to take hard decisions.

ECONOMIC growth in South Asia

OPED — DOCUMENT What drives growth in South AsiaGrowth disparities within the South Asian region have remained wide with Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka recording GDP growth of 6.5 per cent or higher, and Iran, Nepal and Pakistan registering growth rates of less than 4 per cent. ECONOMIC growth in South Asia moderated in 2011, primarily owing to a slowdown of the Indian economy. After expanding by 7.2 per cent in 2010, real GDP is estimated to have grown by 6.5 per cent in 2011. The region is expected to remain fairly resilient to the global economic downturn and sustain its growth momentum in the outlook period. Driven by robust domestic demand, average growth is forecast to accelerate slightly to 6.7 per cent in 2012 and 6.9 per cent in 2013. Private consumption and investment continued to be the main growth drivers in the region, with domestic demand supported by strong agricultural output and robust remittance inflows. Strong exports, particularly in the first half of the year, and a solid expansion of Government spending also contributed positively to growth. However, growth disparities within the region remained wide with Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka recording GDP growth of 6.5 per cent or higher, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal and Pakistan registering growth rates of less than 4 per cent. India's economy has slowed over the past year as monetary policy was tightened in order to bring down inflation. With domestic demand moderating, GDP growth is estimated to have declined from 9 per cent in 2010 to 7.6 per cent in 2011. Assuming a gradual easing of inflationary pressures and an end to the monetary tightening cycle, growth is forecast to increase slightly to 7.7 per cent in 2012 and 7.9 per cent in 2013. KEY FINDINGS OF UN REPORT Economic growth expected to remain resilient  Employment improving in India and Sri Lanka  Inflation remains high but is projected to decline slowly  Fiscal deficits remain high  Trade deficits are widening  A prolonged recession in Europe will pose serious downside risks Buoyant domestic demand and a recovery in exports underpinned strong growth in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2011. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal and Pakistan, long-standing structural problems such as weak policy implementation, security concerns and low investment in physical and human capital constrain growth. In all three countries, economic conditions are expected to improve slightly in the outlook period, but growth will remain well below potential. Unemployed women The latest labour force surveys in South Asia provide a mixed picture. While the employment situation in the fast-growing economies of India and Sri Lanka has improved, it remained weak in other parts of the region, notably in the Islamic Republic of Iran and crisis-ridden Pakistan. In Sri Lanka, the unemployment rate declined to an all-time low of 4.3 per cent in early 2011 on the back of a strong expansion in the services and industry sectors. By contrast, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, sluggish growth over the past few years has had a negative impact on employment. The average unemployment rate has increased in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 11.9 per cent in the fiscal year 2009-2010 to 14.6 per cent in 20'10-2011 and in Pakistan from 5.6 per cent in the fiscal year 2009-2010 to 6.0 per cent in 2010-2011. In addition to elevated unemployment rates, South Asia's labour markets face deep-rooted structural challenges, such as the highest share of vulnerable employment among all developing regions and widespread youth unemployment. Moreover, in all countries of the region, unemployment rates among women are far higher than among men. Consumer price inflation remained high across South Asia in 2011, presenting a major challenge for policymakers. Regional inflation averaged 10.3 per cent, down only slightly from 11.6 per cent in 2010 and ranging from 7.0 per cent in Sri Lanka to 17 per cent in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The increases in consumer prices were driven by a variety of factors, including higher international food and energy prices, domestic supply shortages, the reduction of fuel subsidies in several countries (including the Islamic Republic of Iran) and buoyant demand conditions in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. In the outlook, inflation is projected to decline slowly, averaging 9.1 per cent in 2012 and 8.0 per cent in 2013, as pressure from higher food and commodity prices eases and the impact of monetary policy tightening is felt in Bangladesh and India. However, there are substantial upside risks to inflation, including renewed supply shocks such as insufficient monsoon rains and a rise in international commodity prices. Tightening cycle ends Facing high and persistent inflation, several central banks in South Asia, most notably the Reserve Bank of India, continued to tighten monetary policy in 2011. However, with risks to the world economy again rising, the focus of monetary authorities has started to shift towards supporting domestic demand. The Reserve Bank of India signalled an end to the current tightening cycle in October 2011 after hiking its key policy rates for the thirteenth time since early 2010. In Pakistan, a slowdown in inflation during the third quarter of2011 led the State Bank to cur its main policy rate from 14 per cent to 12 per cent in an attempt to stimulate private investment and growth. Bangladesh Bank by contrast, stepped up measures to contain accelerating inflation, lifting interest rates and restraining credit flows, especially to sectors considered unproductive. Looking ahead, central banks are likely to continue to move towards a growth-supportive monetary policy if inflationary pressures ease. Despite some progress in recent years, fiscal deficits continue to be high in most South Asian countries, particularly in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Government spending rose significantly in 2011 as development expenditures (such as education, health and infrastructure spending), non-development expenditures (such as civil service pay and defence spending) and interest payments increased. High Pak deficit Pakistan recorded a deficit of about 6 per cent of GDP in the fiscal year 2010-2011, missing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) target of 4.7 per cent. This can be mainly attributed to the devastating floods in 2010, higher security expenditures and failed efforts to implement a general sales tax due to domestic political opposition. India's fiscal deficit declined to 5.1 per cent of GDP in the fiscal year 2010-2011, as strong growth boosted tax revenues and the sale of 3G telecommunications licences increased non-tax revenues. However, India's Government is unlikely to reach the deficit target of 4.7 per cent of GDP for the fiscal year 2011-2012, as slowing growth is leading to a shortfall in tax revenues and the disinvestment of stakes in State-run companies is put on hold. After recovering rapidly in the first half of 2011, South Asia's export sectors experienced a moderation in demand owing to deteriorating conditions in developed economies. Nonetheless, in most countries of the region, total export earnings in 2011 were about 20 per cent higher than a year ago. Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka benefited from a strong recovery in demand for textiles and garments, partly as a result of significant cost increases in China and political turmoil in North Africa and Western Asia. In India, exports of engineering goods, petroleum products, gems and jewellery soared. High oil and commodity prices and strong domestic demand boosted import spending in 2011, notably in Bangladesh, India.and Sri Lanka. Since, in most countries, imports had started from a higher base than exports, merchandise trade deficits widened further in 2011. This was partly offset by improvements in the services balance and higher current transfers, although workers' remittances grew at a slower rate than in previous years. In 2012, export growth is likely to decelerate, resulting in a further widening of trade deficits in most countries. A prolonged recession in Europe could have a significant impact on growth across South Asia as European countries continue to be a key export market for the region and a main source of tourism revenues. Renewed increases in international commodity prices also represent a risk for South Asia, as this would complicate fiscal deficit reduction and monetary policy decisions while also leading to a widening of current-account deficits

Egypt's first elected president and way ahead?

EGYPT got an elected President for the first time in its history on Sunday with the Supreme Electoral Committee declaring Muslim Brotherhood-floated Freedom and Justice Party chief Mohamed Morsi as the winner of the run-off elections. Mr Morsi faced a tough challenge from former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, considered close to military strongman Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. The announcement of the election result was delayed, which led to speculation that the ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) might manipulate the poll outcome to deny Mr Morsi his due. But that would have caused widespread protests all over Egypt, leading to an uncontrollable chaotic situation. Perhaps, the interim military rulers read the writing on the wall and decided to honour the mandate given by Egyptian voters.

But the ruling generals have taken certain measures which may remain a threat to Egypt’s march to democracy unless they decide to undo these at some stage. They have got the first elected parliament dissolved with the power of writing a new constitution remaining with SCAF. The military has acquired a major say in policy making. The Brotherhood, Mr Morsi’s parent organisation, has expressed its opposition to the last-minute decisions taken by the military, which means the possibility of a showdown between the two sides in the days ahead.
Mr Morsi has been successful in emerging as the first elected head of government in Egypt not only because he got massive support from the most popular Islamic movement called the Muslim Brotherhood. He has been allowed to take up the reins of power also because of the US pressure on the power-hungry ruling generals not to prevent the march of the democratic process that began with last year’s uprising at the famous Tahrir Square in Cairo. Now that Mr Morsi has become the President of Egypt, he must remember that he has certain international obligations to fulfil. The world community will be watching his moves closely because of his Brotherhood connection. The engineer-turned-politician will have to ensure that a democratic Egypt under his command respects human rights and does nothing which can lead to its getting branded as a theocratic state in the guise of democracy.

India and Supercomputers

HIGH-performance supercomputers displace the reigning monarchs frequently. The latest kid on the block is IBM’s Sequoia, which has come out at the top of the list of the world’s fastest supercomputers. It delivered an impressive 16.32 petaflops per second. A petaflop is a thousand trillion operations.

To put it in perspective, Sequoia can calculate in one hour what would otherwise take 6.7 billion people working non-stop and using hand calculators 320 years to complete. The US; European nations, including Germany, France and Italy; and in Asia, Japan and China, make it regularly to the top supercomputer league, whereas India makes a guest appearance from time to time.

Indian accomplishments, starting with Param in 2007, and followed by Param Padma and Eka have all done well when pitted against the best in the world. However, unlike other nations in the Top-10 league, India does not have a sustained programme to support such high-performance computers. The nation needs to give a boost to its computer centres so that they cannot only build such powerful machines, but also use them for a variety of tasks, which would not be possible otherwise. While weather prediction needs such supercomputers, they also have military use. In fact, Sequoia has been designed to carry out simulations that will help to extend the life of ageing nuclear weapons. The good thing is that by using supercomputers, scientists avoid real-world tests.
India has come a long way since the time when nations, especially the US, banned the export of supercomputers. At one time, even some very powerful desktops were considered for ban. Now the field is wide open and India has demonstrated its capability of making and operating such machines on its own. Indian computing skills are used worldwide. It is time for the government to provide the vision, leadership and the necessary funding so that Indian supercomputers make their mark in the world.

Punjab and Sports

As part of its efforts to promote sports in the state, the Punjab Government is planning to introduce a monthly sports scholarship, which would cover 100 graded sportspersons each in 13 disciplines.
Sportspersons below 16 years of age would be paid Rs 500 monthly, while those above 16 years would get Rs 1,000 monthly. The state’s department of sports in accordance with the laid down parameters grades sportspersons annually.
The scholarships would be disbursed with effect from April 1, 2012, as revealed in the Budget speech of the state Finance Minister. The scholarship was also part of the recently re-elected SAD government’s election manifesto. A budgetary provision of Rs 1.5 crore has been made for this. The sports department has also decided to construct multi-disciplinary stadiums in Fazilka, Pathankot, Barnala and Nawanshahar districts, for which a sum of Rs 20 crore has been earmarke

Literacy rate in Punjab

In a positive step, the literacy rate in Punjab has almost doubled in the past about 40 years. Though four decades seem to be a long time to make improvements in the education system, the latest data with the Census Department show that the literacy rate in the state has increased to 76.7 per cent from 34.1 per cent in 1971.
The previous survey on literacy was conducted in 1971. Almost 75 per cent of the total population of Punjab is now literate. The literacy rate among men is 81.5 per cent while it is 71.3 per cent among women.
Hoshiarpur district with 85.4 per cent has the highest literacy rate. The district having least literacy rate is Mansa with just 62.8 per cent literate population.
In Hoshiarpur, maximum urban women (85.4 per cent) are literate while the most literate urban men are in Mohali district (92.2 per cent), reveals the survey report.

UID - Aadhar

What have been the major achievements of the UIDAI in the North so far?
Across India, the authority has completed its mandate of 20 crore enrolments, and almost 18 crore unique identity numbers have been issued. In this region, we have seen the maximum enrolments in Punjab, where 1.05 crore people have been enrolled. However, the highest percentage covered is in Himachal Pradesh, where 57 per cent of the population (39 lakh persons) has been enrolled. We were lagging in Haryana because the Public Distribution System smart card has been linked there with Aadhar. But now it is picking up there too. Besides enrolling such huge numbers, we have also started authentication services.

What is biggest challenge?

It is to make Aadhar socially inclusive, which means we are trying to enrol all underprivileged sections — be it the specially abled or the vast floating populations. While special enrolment camps are being organised with the help of NGOs, we have also come up with a system of “introducers”, who can introduce people who do not have any proof of identity for getting the card. There is also a mechanism for introducer verification

How are you encouraging people to come for enrolment?

We are now launching a massive awareness campaign. Radio jingles, stalls at local melas, streets plays and other popular forms of media are being used to ensure 100 per cent enrolment.

What are the benefits of getting a UID?

Besides financial inclusion, the Aadhar-enabled payment systems will include giving away scholarships, payments under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), social security pensions, and PDS deliveries. The biggest achievement is eliminating duplication and fakes. About Rs 40,000 crore is being spent on the NREGS and more than Rs 3 lakh crore on subsidies and other social benefits. If we can check pilferage in this with Aadhar’s help, it will be a tremendous saving. An Aadhar-linked pilot project on direct transfer of subsidy for kerosene in Rajasthan has been a great success. In this region, 10 districts will undertake similar pilot projects following the Union Finance Minister’s announcement. In Himachal, the UID will soon be used for registration of property.

Elder Abuse in India -

EVERY year since 2006, there starts a month long observance of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), officially marked as 15 June. This year the observance had special significance for all involved with ageing issues, especially those combating the menace of elder abuse. It is during the first United Nations celebration of WEAAD at the 89th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly (19 December 2011 Resolution 66/127, para. 21), it was decided to involve all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including NGOs and individuals, to observe the day in an appropriate manner. While in New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed that human rights of older persons are as absolute as those of other human beings, in India, very aptly, the UN Resident Coordinator, a.i. Frederika Meijer inaugurated observance of WEAAD in a programme organised by United Nations Information Centre, United Nations Population Fund and Development, Welfare & Research Foundation, a national voluntary organisation, which stressed elder abuse as an unacceptable attack on human dignity and human rights. The students, young adults, middle aged and the old voiced their concerns for ignoring the rights of the older people. Lack of well defined rights, laws and action plans make the senior citizens vulnerable to the risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and marginalisation, was the conclusion.

Vulnerability

Reviewing the recent HelpAge report on elder abuse crime in India, I see a clear violation of rights of older people, more so of women by the family members. What is also striking is the ignorance of the older people about their right to life of dignity, respect and protection. This is not only an Indian phenomena or an Asian one but rather cuts across all nations. World Health Organization statistics reveal around 4 to 6 per cent of older people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home and the number is much higher in institutional settings. But, there is also acknowledgement by gerontologists and age care workers that elder abuse is often unreported and under recognised in Asian countries. The crux of the problem lies in the fact that many older people do not enjoy fundamental human freedom and rights, even though human rights mechanisms identify older men and women at greater risk of human rights violations. They require specific measures of protection. In countries across the globe senior citizens can be divided into two categories; those who are in good health and have economic and emotional security, and those who do not have adequate means of support, are deprived of social and health care, exploited financially and psychologically. Unfortunately, the latter are in majority and are among the most vulnerable, marginalised and unprotected. Yet, seldom are there any effective preventive strategies to reduce the risk of abuse for them, nor are there strong laws and policies to address these concerns.

Substitute for family A rapidly increasing number of older people and shrinking and burdened care givers from the family point towards developing alternative facilities, services and provisions for housing senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons, one of the largest organised group of older persons, has been advocating with policymakers, programme managers and researchers to maintain and create housing options and communities that meet the needs of older people and facilitate ageing with dignity. There are just about 728 Old Age Homes in India. Detailed information on only 547 homes is available. Out of these, 325 homes are free of cost, run by charitable trusts, while 95 old age homes are on pay- and -stay basis, 116 homes have both free as well as pay- and- stay facilities and 11 homes have no information. A total of 278 old age homes all over the country are available for the sick and 101 homes are exclusively for women. Kerala has 124 old age homes, the maximum in any state. Pune and Banglore have some retirement homes for the elderly.

Implementation- a problem

The 21st century, on the one hand, has led to the positive development in many countries in terms of formulation of legislations to protect older people from abuse. On the other hand, despite the right based perspective in legal reforms, the rights based action in implementing measures is missing. Most national legal systems stipulate punishment for the perpetrators of elder abuse, but have no adequate legal instruments to detect and report abuse of different forms and more importantly to rehabilitate the victims of abuse. In many Asian countries in particular, legislations deal more with getting just the maintenance money from family members, though they aspire to have inclusive policies for all sections of the population, including the elderly. During the last decade China, Thailand like India and even small countries like Nepal, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have adopted a special Act at legislative level, as an enforceable legal instrument to address elder abuse. These Acts combine provisions on family support and state responsibility through social welfare. Review of the use of the Act in different countries carried out to create enabling environments for older people to enable them a life of dignity and respect found huge gaps in implementation. Significantly, they found when older people report a case of maltreatment, abuse, neglect or violence against their own children, legal recourse helps in getting a monetary sum from children for meeting their daily financial needs, but overlooks their consequent state of loneliness, lack of available care givers, threat of emotional insecurity, depression and break down after estrangement with children.

Growing number of suicides

Rights based mechanism to provide comprehensive support to victims of abuse and neglect, is missing from national action plans. No wonder in our country the rate of suicide among the old is increasing, Kerala with the highest population of the ageing is an appropriate example of this scenario. In fact the world statistics state that the highest rate of suicide occurs among persons aged 65 and older.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007) in India, which provides a framework for welfare, security, and protection to senior citizens, has till now not been notified in all the states and union territories of the country. The 21 states where it has been notified, not all the state governments have taken the five steps required for its implementation, namely; must notify the Act, frame rules for the Act, appoint maintenance tribunals, appoint maintenance officers and appoint appellate tribunals. Only five states have taken care of all the five steps. Further, like in Europe, elder abuse in India is also addressed by legislation on domestic violence, but notwithstanding the fact that older women in particular, who lack alternative provisions for their support are reluctant to use this legal instrument to safeguard themselves for a life of dignity, despite their right to it.

Do laws favour the young?

The debate began with Section 498- A, which though, was framed to save young women from dowry harassment, victimised many elderly people in the process. There is growing empirical evidence of the misuse of the Dowry Act and a strong movement is emerging asking for amendment to the Act which does not violate the rights of older persons and does not victimise them. Incidentally the Home Ministry has directed the Law Commission of India to consider amendments to Section 498-A of Indian Penal Code. The Law Commission has published a Consultation Paper-cum-Questionnaire regarding Section 498-A of IPC on its website (www. lawcommissionofindia.nic.in).

In the last few years, international conventions adopted by UN Member States have addressed the issue of rights for other specific vulnerable population groups, such as women, children, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, and others. But all the continents have not united to call for a convention on the rights of older persons. There is an opinion among certain groups that the existent conventions protect certain vulnerabilities of the people in old age, such as of older women and disabled elderly. What needs to be stressed is that without a Convention for Rights of Older People, vulnerabilities and risks to abuse and neglect of older population will continue. Particularly of those who are denied geriatric health care, dementia care, facilities for their recreation and leisure, standards for provision of services, universal pensions, and social assistance etc.

They have diverse needs

Entitlements of older persons should not be just on the basis of being a destitute and disadvantaged, but as an ageing person with diverse needs to maintain an adequate standard of living. There is need for hard legal instruments to appropriately monitor and regularise the implementation of policies and programmes. Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing to which many countries are adhering in planning for fast increasing numbers of older people is more of a soft law, a statement of intention. What is required in Asia, and for influential countries like India and China, is to take a lead in establishing a protocol on older people’s right and work comprehensively on developing human rights instrument for older people as has been done by developing countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile and others who are part of the Inter-American Regional Convention on the rights of older people. It is also being done by the European and African countries. We should not be left behind in combating elder abuse, in all its forms

Need to use generic drugs for affordable health care

AAMIR KHAN the social activist has deposed before a Parliamentary Standing Committee, recommending doctors prescribe generic drugs, as opposed to branded ones. Many in the medical fraternity have questioned his credentials for speaking on the subject, which he took up in his extremely popular TV programme, “Satyameva Jayate”. As for the actor Khan’s role, he has done nothing wrong — in using his image to highlight an acknowledged malpractice being ignored since long as he has only done public service. It is now up to the stakeholders to do something about it.

The medicine market is indeed bad. Aamir’s detractors have cited the WHO to say 25-45 per cent generic drugs produced in India are spurious. There is a flipside to this — it means at least 60 per cent of the generic drugs, which are available at a fraction of the cost of branded ones, are up to the mark. That is what the entire medical system, including the government and private players, has to work on to provide cheap and reliable drugs to the poor. A mechanism has to be evolved to provide the genuine generic drugs (patent-free medicines sold under the salt name, rather than brand) with a stamp of quality that people may be able to identify. The move to set up Jan Aushadhi outlets by the government to sell verified generic drugs was the ideal solution. However, the outlets thus far are too few.
As things stand today, the entire pharmaceutical chain — from the producer, the doctor to the chemist — is fouled. And in a country where there are nearly 10 lakh shops selling drugs, there are hardly a thousand inspectors to check the quality. The Drug Controller-General of India says more than 3,000 are required. India is a major pharmaceutical exporter too, supplying medicines in bulk to UN programmes at some of the cheapest rates in the world. Just as foreign buyers visit the Indian factories to check the quality before placing orders, so can the government to start a labelling process. We have ketchup and air-conditioners stamped by government food or standards organisations, but not life-saving drugs!

All-women meeting against female foeticide at Bibipur - A jolt to the patriarchal set-up

WOMEN gave a jolt to the patriarchal set-up in a Haryana village by holding an all-women meeting against female foeticide at Bibipur village. The gram sabha meeting, graced by some women district officials, was attended by about 225 women from 14 wards. They charted out a programme against female foeticide, made resolutions, gave speeches and created a kind of history in the region. Certainly, it made a pageant of a vital social issue that concerns demographers and sociologists alike. An all-women meeting in a region where nothing moves without the will of the man is a welcome step, but whether it will lead to some concrete action is the moot question officials need to ask.

Gender bias is layered and deeply entrenched in the social apparatus of the region. Are women of the region empowered to decide whether they want to keep a female foetus or not? When a foetus is aborted, the decision is not taken by the mother alone; the entire family deliberates and implements what it feels is right. The woman is often just a silent consenter. It is common knowledge in the region that the AXN worker, who is supposed to keep a track of pregnancies, is part of the same community; doctors too are known, and the community loyalties take precedence over the law. No one spills the beans because they believe what they do is justified.
When women members make such suggestions like reporting each pregnancy in the second month itself, inadvertently they tighten the noose around their own limited freedom. It could translate into banning of all abortions, irrespective of gender considerations. Secondly, schemes like depositing Rs 10,000 for the girl child instead of spending it on abortion sound more populist than doable work plans to improve the gender ratio. More than women, it is the men who need to hold meetings to change their mindset because they hold the power of taking decisions

Punjab Budget 2012-13 and Education

EDUCATION has been projected by the Punjab Government as a thrust area in its budget for 2012-13. Yet, the allocation for the crucial sector at 2.5 per cent of the GSDP falls short of the 3 per cent recommended by experts. The reason why the government is able to set aside so little is that around 80 per cent of its revenue goes towards committed liabilities such as salaries — an indicator of low work-to-manpower ratio. This is patently evident from the figure the budget has given for expenditure per student per year: Rs 26,526. Most private schools in small towns give far better education at a lower expense.

The quality of education being imparted to students in the state is the major concern. In today’s world, to improve literacy figures is not enough. Given the high aspirations of Punjabi youth, they also have to be equipped for that. The government in the past five years hired a large number of teachers, yet their quality and distribution leaves much to be answered. The poor standard of students being turned out by schools results in low enrolment in higher education. At 11.12 per cent, it is lower than even the national average of 12.4 despite Punjab being among the high per-capita income states.
Spheres with a high Central aid component — such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and technical education — have received a reasonable boost over the previous year while some of the state’s own initiatives have only received token service. Adarsh Schools is one such. The state is to contribute up to Rs 3.75 crore per school and give 70 per cent of the recurring expenses. The allocation of Rs 25 crore for the already failing scheme can in no way achieve the goal of one school per block. The handing out of tablets to Class 12 students is a feel-good gesture alright, but of little meaning till a culture of using IT as an education tool is built. Getting functional computers in every school should be the priority. It is we moved on from symbolism to real learning.

India - China maritime cooperation

In a significant move, India and China will have a high-level group to address their fast-growing, and, at times, overlapping ambitions at sea.
The two countries will look at common interests of providing security at sea for merchant shipping. Crude oil is carried on ships and billions of dollars of trade is done through the route. Protection of the Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCS) - a designated international sea trade corridor - is one area where cooperation is a must for both countries heavily dependent on sea trade to run their economies, sources said.
New Delhi will set up an inter-ministerial group on its side while Beijing would have an official team that would periodically exchange views with each other on “maritime trade and security”. The Indian group is expected to have the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Shipping and the Department of Oceanography.
In Brazil today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao met on the sidelines of Rio+20 Summit, where they agreed to step up defence and security dialogue. The maritime cooperation is an important part of that.
Earlier in March, just ahead of the BRICS summit, it was announced that a maritime cooperation interaction will be finalised between the two Asian giants who aspire to have a “blue-water’ navy and project themselves as dominant players at sea. Naval warships of China and India, are in common grouping with Japan - South Korea will join on July 1 -- in anti-piracy patrols in the pirate-infested waters in the Gulf of Aden which, when traversed westwards, leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
New Delhi is also keen to have a Naval ‘protocol at sea’ with Beijing. The US and the USSR had such an agreement during the Cold war era. This prevented misunderstandings from escalating into skirmishes. India perceives that a misunderstanding could occur with China as warships of both Navies, nowadays, traverse the oceans on different duties like anti-piracy operations and long-range deployments.
Last year Indian naval warships had separate face-offs on high seas in international waters with Pakistan Navy and Chinese Navy. On both occasion, it led to a war of words and a blame game between the two countries. Indian warship INS Godavari had a brush with Pakistani ship PNS Babur in the Arabian Sea earlier this year.
Babur had rammed into Godavari damaging its flight deck net. After that, INS Airavat sailing in the South China Sea was asked over open radio by a person identifying the area as Chinese territory to back off. The Indian warship continued on its course.

Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report and India

The growing problem of trafficked girls being forced into marriages in the low sex ratio states of Punjab and Haryana finds a prominent mention in this year’s US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which measures anti-trafficking progress made by governments across the world.
The report, released yesterday by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asks India to bring defaulting states like Punjab and Haryana in line on the existing human trafficking prevention laws and records the fact that Naxals are forcibly recruiting children in their ranks.
Acknowledging Home Ministry’s law enforcement efforts through anti-human trafficking units, the report says India did not fully comply with the minimum standards for elimination of trafficking. It records a new challenge - growing official complicity in trafficking.
“Increase prosecutions and convictions on all forms of trafficking, including bonded labour; prosecute officials allegedly complicit in trafficking,” says the report retaining India in Tier 2 rating list on trafficking.
The report says, “There were increasing reports of females from north-eastern states and Odisha subjected to servile marriages in low female-to-male child sex ratio states of Haryana and Punjab and also reports of girls subjected to transactional sexual exploitation in the Middle East under the guise of temporary marriages.”
TIP Report 2012 mentions continued forced labour of children in hybrid cottonseed plots in Gujarat and indicates possible forced labour in the Sumangali scheme in Tamil Nadu in which employers pay young women a lumpsum to be used for dowry at the end of a three-year term. It records how job placement agencies “were luring adults and children for forced labour or sex trafficking under false promises of employment and how Indian boys from Bihar were being subjected to forced labour in embroidery factories in Nepal.”
“Corrupt law enforcement officers reportedly continue to facilitate movement of sex trafficking victims, protect suspected traffickers and brothel keepers from law enforcement, and received bribes from sex trafficking establishments and sexual services from victims,” records the report. It says government reported no prosecutions or convictions of government officials for trafficking-related offences during the reporting period (2011-12). 
Damning US Report
* Naxals are forcibly recruiting children in their ranks
* There is growing official complicity in trafficking
* There are increasing reports of females from north-eastern states and Odisha subjected to servile marriages in low female-to-male child sex ratio states of Haryana and Punjab
* Girls are reportedly subjected to sexual exploitation in the Middle East under the guise of temporary marriages
* Job placement agencies are luring adults and children for forced labour or sex trafficking
TIP RATINGS
* TIP Report 2012 retains India in Tier 2
* Tier 2 countries: Those that don't fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards but are making efforts to do so. In 2011, India had been removed from Tier 2 watch list which features countries where victims of severe trafficking were increasing
* Tier 1 countries are those whose governments fully comply with the TVPA
* Tier 3 countries are those that are not doing anything major to combat trafficking

Cancer in Malwa: A growing Menace

A visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture to Bathinda areas, particularly Jajjal village, has stirred high emotions among Malwa residents and activists raising their voice against cancer — a disease estimated to afflict 120-125 persons per lakh in the area, against the national average of 71. These figures are disputed, as are the causes of the disease, as neither the state government nor the Centre have had any comprehensive study conducted on the subject. This gives rise to the suspicion the state government wants to hide the reasons, as those could be considered failings on its part — such as unscientific use of pesticides by farmers and inability to supply clean drinking water. Such allegations were levelled by some of the locals during the House panel’s visit. Various agencies have examined limited aspects of the issue and pointed at nitrates, uranium and pesticides in the water as culprits. However, none has offered a definitive cause, which provides the governments with a fig leaf to delay concrete action.

The immediate concern of the people is cancer treatment, which is hard to come by in Malwa. A few government treatment centres have been set up, but have failed to win people’s trust, who continue to go to Rajasthan for the purpose. A couple of large private cancer hospitals are also being set up on public land to provide low-cost treatment to the poor. But such charity arrangements have rarely worked in the past. This is one sector where the Centre will have to put in money. After all, Punjab has fed the country; its farmers are now in need of help.
One thing the state government has to work on is the prevention of cancer. While fundamental corrections such as cleaning up the state’s waters would take a while, the government has to ensure it starts providing filtered water to all affected areas immediately. Reverse osmosis is a technology found effective in filtering out most of the harmful elements. As it is expensive, the Centre needs to step in here too. No cost should be considered too much. People are dying.